Estonia and UNDP launch project to boost Georgian business competitiveness for EU market entry

The project is part of the UNDP's "Inclusive Access to Markets" initiative for Georgian SMEs to strengthen their capacity to participate in international trade fairs and B2B events and increase their sales potential on the European market.

Nana Ramazashvili, Project Manager for Economic Development and Trade at the EU Delegation. Her remarks emphasized the critical role of international collaboration and trade fairs in enhancing market access for Georgian businesses.

Giorgi Tsimintia, Project Manager of UNDP’s “Inclusive Access to Markets” initiative, provided a detailed overview of the project’s objectives, highlighting the program’s key benefits and the practical support available to SMEs.

Nika Mamukelashvili, Head of the Export Department at Enterprise Georgia, presented the trade fair calendar for 2024-2025 and introduced the “Individual Expo Grant” program. His presentation outlined essential opportunities for Georgian businesses to participate in global trade events.

Anu-Mall Naarits, CEO of Visionest Institute, introduced the program, offering strategic insights on the importance of trade fairs and providing actionable guidance for navigating international markets. Naarits said the project will support Georgian entrepreneurs as they start exports to the EU and prepare for trade fairs. It will also support the integration of more experienced Georgian exporters into the value chains of various sectors in Europe. "This is a great opportunity to pass on Estonia’s experience developing exports, as Estonia is one of the top exporting countries in Europe," said Naarits.

SMEs play an important role in Georgia's economy. They make up more than 99 percent of the total number of operating enterprises and employ more than half of the people living in Georgia.

"UNDP funding recognises Estonian development cooperation in Georgia—our experts, projects and partners who implement these projects together with Georgian companies. Involvement with foreign funding is one of ESTDEV's most important roles, and we are glad that UNDP has found an opportunity to amplify Estonian development cooperation in Georgia," said Margus Gering, ESTDEV's regional head for the EU Eastern Neighbourhood.

The programme, which was launched in Tbilisi, Georgia, is part of an ongoing cooperation agreement between ESTDEV and UNDP under which the UNDP contributed €519 000 to boost the competitiveness of Georgian businesses in the European Union. The project is implemented by the Visionest Institute.