EU External aid programmes

Participation of Czech SMEs in the EU external aid is quite low.

In terms of use of financial instruments for the EU’s external cooperation, Czech entrepreneurs were particularly successful last year in tenders for projects financed from the Nuclear Safety Cooperation Instrument (from which they received 52% of the total amount) and from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (29%). In terms of territorial coverage, Czech entrepreneurs were mainly successful in the Western Balkans (five projects focusing on supplies of goods and specific orders), in the Eastern Partnership countries (two projects focusing on supplies of goods and services) and in the ACP Region (one project on supplies of goods). The total amount acquired by Czech entrepreneurs, as project leaders only, in the realization of the EU projects in the third countries reached €14,348,949.

Possibilities of external aid programmes for Czech entrepreneurs, various development programmes and new strategy of the Czech Trade were discussed at an information seminar on 5th October, which was held for representatives of companies and entrepreneurs associations during International Engineering Fair in Brno.