European Commission Enterprise Directorate General

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• European Commission Enterprise Directorate
  General
• The Euro Info Centre Network
• Silvia MandelliConference Women in the
  Fisheries sector
• Bruxelles, 23 January 2003

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Enterprise DG A mission

• The Lisbon spirit
• The European council asks the Council and the
  Commission to draw up a European Charter for
  small companies to be endorsed in June 2000
• Lisbon European Council - March 2000
• Turning the spirit into policy practice
• Small enterprises must be considered as a main
  driver for innovation, employment as well as
  social and local integration in Europe. The best
  possible environment for small business and
  entrepreneurship needs therefore to be created
  European Charter for small enterprises
• adopted at the European Council - June 2000

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The missions of the EICs
Identify the needs of the Enterprises and meet
them

• INFORM enterprises on all Community policies,
  activities and programmes
• ASSIST enterprises in their efforts to grow and
  to internationalise
• ADVISE enterprises
• FEED BACK INFORMATION
• to the Commission
• on the concerns and interests of enterprises
• and on the impact of Community programmes and
  legislation

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The strategy
Offer services with high added value
Identify needs

• assistance to management
• financing
• innovation
• information technologies
• co-operation
• search for partners
• access to new markets

• assistance to management
• access to programmes
• response to needs for information technologies
• response to needs for innovation
• inter-enterprise co-operation systems
• search for partners
• setting up projects

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Geographical coverage

• ? 39 countries ? 266 cities

Proximity to enterprises
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The network in a few figures

• Created in 1987
• Today
• 289 EICs
• EU, Norway, Iceland, CEECs
• 13 Correspondence Centres
• Mediterranean basin, Switzerland
• 340 Relays
• in 39 countries

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Local establishment

• Host structures
• infrastructure for the EIC
• joint-finance
• serve as partners

The EICs are a link between the European
Commission and European enterprises
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The network effect
Support for EICs

• European Commission, Unit B2
• Technical Assistance Office 40 consultants
  to help EICs
• Audit Team to evaluate and support EICs

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Activities of the Network

• 4000 Events/Seminars
• 650 000 Participants
• 8 000 000 Publications distributed
• 130 EICs on Tender Alerts
• 200 EICs on Business to Business
• /- 50 000 Companies access EU Projects

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Co-operation with other services supporting
enterprises
Develop partnerships

• A Commission network ? Activities with
  DG Internal Market DG Employment,
  DG Environment
• with other networks ? Examples BIC,
  IRC, OPET, NCP, Carrefours,
  Eures, Business Co-operation
  networks...
• at European, national and regional level
  ? Example local Co-operation Groups...

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Exemples of EIC services in fisheries

• Caen
• Marseille
• Southampton

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EIC and women

• Comitato impresa donna (Bologna)
• Women and enterpreneurship
• co-operation with WES network

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Contact

• Mr Jacques Mcmillan
• DG ENTREPRISE Unit B.02 -
• 1049 Brussels
• 32 2 29 52475
• WEB SITE
• http//europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/networks/eic
  /eic.html