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Overview of the Activities Performed by EUGBC in 2014 and Plans in 2015

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Overview of the Activities Performed by EUGBC in 2014 and Plans in 2015 Overview of the activities performed by EUGBC in 2014 and plans in 2015 EUGBC was engaged to accomplish following dimensions during 2014: EUGBC Members meeting with Georgian Government Officials: 7 February: Alex Petriashvili, State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration 11 March: Tamar Beruchashvili, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister 2 June: Mikheil Janelidze, Deputy Minister of Economy 30 July: Mikheil Janelidze, Deputy Minister of Economy 5 September: Ioseb Nanobashvili, Director, Department for International Economic Relations, MFA 22 October: Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy 17 December: David Bakradze, State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration 23 December: Gigi Gigiadze, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister EUGBC Members meeting with the EU officials: 22 January: Dirk Schuebel, Head of Division, Eastern Partnership Bilateral, European External Action Service (Tbilisi) 26 March: Philippe Cuisson, EU Chief Negotiator of DCFTA with Georgia (Tbilisi) 7 May: Gunnar Wiegand, Director Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia, Regional Cooperation and OSCE, European External Action Service (Brussels) 7 May: Gunther Sleeuwagen, Director Eastern, Central and South Eastern Europe, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium (Brussels) 7 May: Magdalena Grono, Member of Cabinet of ENP Commissioner (Brussels) 16 September: Andrzej Adamczyk, the President of the EESC Eastern European Neighbors Follow-up Committee, European Economic and Social Committee (Tbilisi) 25 November: Nele Eichhorn, Member of Cabinet of EU Trade Commissioner (Brussels) 26 November: Hanna Jahns, Member of Cabinet of EU Commissioner of ENP and Enlargement Negotiations (Brussels) 26 November: Luc Devigne, Head of Unit, Russia, CIS, Ukraine, Western Balkan, EFTA, EEA and Turkey, DG Trade (Brussels) 26 November: Dirk Schuebel, Head of Unit, Eastern Partnership Bilateral, European External Action Service (Brussels) EUGBC businessmen delegation visits to Europe: Since EUGBC launch, it is for the first time, when large group of Georgian Businessmen involved in wide range of economic activities visits Belgium, Austria and Slovakia as united delegation. The program of the visits included Site Visits, Roundtables and b2b exchange with local business community, and meetings with the EU officials. 6-7 May visit to Belgium 18-19 November Visit to Austria 20-21 November Visit to Slovakia Site visits to Georgian companies, involving European Ambassadors and Georgian media representatives: Through such visits, EUGBC intends to promote export potential of Georgian companies. Close ties with the diplomatic network allows EUGBC to spread information in the capitals of the EU member states about activities of the companies and its plans vis-à-vis EU single market. 17 September: visit to Mineral Water SNO and Brewery Natakhtari plants 28 October: visit to the sites of Sparkling wines Bagrationi 1882 and Brandy producer Sarajishvili EUGBC EXPO and Economic Photo Exhibitions: EUGBC EXPO and Economic Photo Exhibition is a long term project targeted to European stakeholders. During the 2014-2017, EUGBC plans to visit majority of EU member states and exhibit Georgian products and services, as well as services offered in Georgia by foreign investors and partners. In 2014, EUGBC organized three high level exhibitions in Tbilisi, Vienna and Bratislava. 2 June: Tbilisi (inaugurated by David Usupashvili, Chairman of Parliament of Georgia) 19 November: Vienna (inaugurated by Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Vice Prime Minister of Georgia) 21 November: Bratislava (inaugurated by Keti Bochorishvili, Deputy Minister of Economy) International Conferences and Business Forums in Tbilisi EUGBC in its capacity of European Business Association is regularly invited at the International Investment Conference or Business Forums organized in Tbilisi. EUGBC Core Members are involved in all high level events which are held in Tbilisi under the EU umbrella. 13 June: Georgia-EU International Investor’s Conference (inaugurated by European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili). 29 October: International Investment Forum (organized by Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia and the Asian Development Bank) EUGBC Trade Seminars for Georgian SMEs: In July, EUGBC launched permanent consultative body for Georgian SMEs - Council of Experts. The topics of the Seminar are those, which are being negotiated in the EU-Georgia Free Trade Agreement. The objective of the Seminars is to educate Georgian small size entrepreneurs on the way to conduct business following the approximation process with the EU legislation. EUGBC produced number of Publications, Brochures and Leaflets for target community on the topics of Technical Barriers to Trade, Food Safety, and Intellectual Property Rights, Competition and Labor Rules and other thematic subjects. EUGBC edition in 2014 counts series of Publications on the topic of tariff and non- tariff barriers in the trade with the EU and a leaflet on the Standards related to the Intellectual Property Rights. By March 2015, EUGBC plans to produce two publications on the themes of ‘’Institutional Framework for Competition Regulation in Georgia’’ and ‘’EU-Georgia Association Agreement Food Safety Requirements’’; also it is planned to be printed 14 thematic leaflets on the specific aspects of EU- Georgia DCFTA. EUGBC outreach covers Tbilisi and regions of Georgia. 2 October: Seminar in Batumi 31 October: Seminar in Sighnagi 17 December: Seminar in Tbilisi EUGBC signed MOUs with Media outlets: 18 Feb: EUGBC Memorandum of Understanding with Rustavi 2 TV company 25 Feb: EUGBC Memorandum of Understanding with Interpressnews 17 Dec: EUGBC Memorandum of Understanding with Imedi TV company 22 Dec: EUGBC Memorandum of Understanding with Maestro TV company 30 Oct: EUGBC Memorandum of Understanding with Agricultural Cooperatives Development Agency (ACDA) EUGBC Core Members meetings with International Financial Institutions: We regularly meet top level representatives of Financial Institutions to inform them on EUGBC businessmen activities and to gain information from the Institutions about funds available for Georgian companies in implementing different projects. 21 February: Bruno Balvanera, EBRD Director for Caucasus, Moldova and Belarus 6 May: Roundtable with EBRD, World Bank and EIB Representatives in Brussels 21 October: Philip D. Bennett, EBRD First Vice President & Chief Operating Officer and Francis Malige, EBRD Managing Director, Eastern Europe and Caucasus EUGBC Members meeting with the EU Member State Ambassadors accredited to Georgia Through the meetings, we intend to facilitate direct contacts between EUGBC businessmen and European Ambassadors, in order to gain insight of European experience and priorities of those countries vis-à-vis Georgia. 16 Jan: Greek Ambassador Eliftherios Proios 30 Jan: UK Ambassador Alexandra Hall Hall 3 Feb: Swedish Ambassador Diana Janse 12 Feb: German Ambassador Ortwin Hennig 27 Feb: Polish Ambassador Andrzej Cieszkowski 20 Mar: Estonian Ambassador Priit Turk 14 Apr: Dutch Ambassador Hans Horbach 15 Sept: Italian ambassador Federica Favi 16 Oct: UK ambassador Alexandra Hall Hall 29 Oct: EU Ambassador Janos Herman EUGBC Members meeting with the Georgian Ambassadors accredited in foreign countries: These meetings serve particular purpose to get familiar and receive update personally from the Ambassadors on the bilateral economic and political relations between Georgia and host countries. 14 Feb: Zurab Beridze, Georgian Ambassador to Bulgaria 29 Apr: Merab Antadze (Ambassador to Moldova); Roland Beridze (Ambassador to Kuwait), Levan Nijaradze (Ambassador to India) 29 July: Revaz Gachechiladze, Georgian Ambassador to UK 8 Sept: Konstantin Zaldastanishvili, Ambassador to Austria EUGBC attracted following companies in its membership in 2014: One of the key priorities for EUGBC is to enlarge its scale of activities through attracting Georgian, European of International companies representing different industries. Asseco Georgia (Core member) PWC (Corporate Member) KPMG (Corporate member) BDO (Corporate member) BGI Legal (Corporate member) Sarajishvili (Corporate member) EFES Breweary (Corporate member) Oriflame (Corporate member) Japan Tobacco International (Corporate member) Imperial Tobacco (Corporate member) Philip Morris International (Corporate member) Bulgartabac (Corporate member) Silknet (Corporate member) Lukoil (Corporate Member) APM Terminals (Corporate member) EUGBC Action Plan in 2015 EUGBC will continue to hold similar activities during 2015. However, priority areas are: EUGBC large scale Business Conference in Brussels (May 2015). The conference targets Business, the EU political establishment, large enterprises, small and medium enterprises, media and pool of experts to provide accurate and punctual information concerning practicalities of EU-Georgia Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). This conference will provide an excellent opportunity for interested European companies to gain insight the business climate and the investment opportunities that Georgia offers. At the Conference 20 Georgian companies will be present, as well as European companies interested in Georgian market. The conference will be inaugurated by H.E. Tamar Beruchashvili, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia; key note speakers will be H.E. Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Georgia and H.E. David
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