On April 27, 2017 in Kharkiv, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Business Support Center in Kharkiv conducted a presentation “Opportunities for SME Development from the EBRD”. The purpose of the meeting was to familiarize representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with the possibilities of granting grants for consulting projects from the EBRD under the EU4Business initiative.

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The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) (www.ebrd.com), whose shareholders are 64 countries and two international organizations, supports the development of a market economy and democracy.

The EBRD provides grant support to small and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine since 2010. Within the framework of the grant support, the EBRD helps small and medium-sized enterprises to attract highly qualified local consultants and international experts who are able to transform their business qualitatively, and provides grants for partial compensation for the services of consultants.

During this time, the EBRD has provided grant support to more than 722 small and medium-sized enterprises in Ukraine for more than 15.7 million euros. Funding was provided by the European Union, the governments of the United States and Sweden.

On May 20, 2016, within the framework of the EU4Business initiative, an agreement was signed worth 40 million euros between the EU and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development regarding the allocation of 28 million euros for consulting, information, training and other support to SMEs in Ukraine. The assistance includes the creation of a network of business support centers throughout the country, as well as supporting direct financing of small and medium-sized enterprises by the EBRD of € 12 million.

The Business Support Center in Kharkiv is an information partner of the EBRD in the Kharkov region as part of the EU4Business initiative.