We warmly welcome Georgia to the Enterprise Europe Network. We look forward to working together with our new partner European Business Assosiation Georgia (EBA) and unlocking new opportunities across Europe and the world. Georgia's accession to the EEN opens up further opportunities for companies, particularly in the areas of innovation, sustainability, and internationalization.

To get to know our new partner better, we asked Mariam Kuchuloria, Managing Director of EBA Georgia, four questions. Find out more in the interview.

Could you briefly introduce EBA Georgia and the main services you provide to businesses?

EBA Georgia is a member-driven business support organization uniting large European companies and local Georgian enterprises distinguished by European standards of doing business. We bring together over 100 companies spanning sectors such as finance, banking, construction, medical, agriculture, hospitality and more. 

Our core services include providing an extensive networking and matchmaking platform linking local and European partners, offering strategic advocacy and policy dialogue with public and regulatory bodies to enhance the business environment, strengthening member businesses via tailored business consulting, sectoral committees, trainings and upskilling opportunities as well as individual promotion and visibility. 

Notably, EBA Georgia is also a proud member of the European Business Organisation Worldwide Network (EBO), which further enhances our international outreach and strengthens the value we bring to our members.

What motivated EBA Georgia to become part of the Enterprise Europe Network?

Our motivation was to strengthen EBA Georgia’s capacity to bring concrete European business-network opportunities and internationalisation support to our members. By joining EEN we gain access to a Europe-wide platform of business support organisations, expertise, and matchmaking services, which amplifies our ability to open doors for Georgian firms into EU markets. Moreover, we believe EEN’s reach and tools complement our mission of aligning Georgian business with European standards and facilitating trade/investment flows.

In your view, how can Georgian businesses benefit from the Enterprise Europe Network, and which sectors stand to gain the most?

Georgian companies stand to benefit from the EEN by accessing EU market intelligence, regulatory and export compliance guidance, such as for the DCFTA framework, finding and connecting with European business partners for trade, joint ventures or technology transfer, joining EU funded projects and innovation consortia, and gaining enhanced visibility to European investors and service providers through matchmaking and brokerage services. Sectors particularly well positioned for these benefits include agribusiness, tourism and hospitality, IT and digital services and manufacturing/engineering firms aiming to integrate into European supply chains and meet EU standards.

What are you most excited about as you begin working with the Enterprise Europe Network?

We are most excited about the realization of tangible cross-border connections for our members, seeing Georgian SMEs meet European counterparts, form partnerships, export, innovate, and invest. I’m also excited about tapping into EEN’s knowledge base: best practices, innovation networks, EU funding opportunities, and peer-learning across Europe. Finally, the chance to raise Georgia’s profile within Europe’s business ecosystem through EEN collaboration is a compelling prospect, helping to position Georgia as a reliable partner for European companies.

Thank you very much for taking the time for this interview. We look forward to continuing our collaboration.