Following the call for expression of interest “Promoting European business and economic interests in Georgia” of 4 March, the EU announced that the European Business Association Georgia was the organization that submitted the winning project. The project aims at encouraging coordinated and pro-active actions of business, support the implementation of the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) and, pursue the EU’s economic diplomacy interests. In particular, objectives are:

• Strengthening business relations between the European Union and Georgia, in particular as regards the elimination of obstacles to business;
• Promoting fair, open and long-term relationships between business, customers/beneficiaries and the authorities;
• Establishing a key interlocutor to the EU Delegation, the EEAS and European Commission, also relaying the views of other existing business organisations (general / sectoral / bilateral), and for Member States’ embassies, notably those with no bilateral chamber of commerce in Georgia.

The EU Ambassador to Georgia Mr. Carl Hartzell said: “Let me warmly congratulate EBA Georgia for their hard work and strong proposal, which led them to win this call! I look forward to our common work in the years ahead. A big thanks to all the applicants for their interest and the quality of their proposals. I encourage these applicants and other relevant organisations to seize the opportunity of upcoming invitations from EBA Georgia and to work together towards the creation of an inclusive platform. We look forward to your contribution to the project’s implementation, in the interest of European businesses and EU-Georgia economic interests.”