
Euro-Mediterranean Development Center for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
The Euro-Mediterranean Development Center for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (EMDC)’s final objective is to build an efficient networking infrastructure among Euro-Mediterranean entrepreneurs, institutions and investors, in order to support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) along the critical stages of start-up, growth and internationalization.
Conceived as an integrated and widespread network of business development support centres, the “Euro-Mediterranean Development Center for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (EMDC)” aims at creating employability opportunities, particularly among youth, through the establishment and reinforcement of new Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
The national centres will be directly involved in day-to-day field support to local MSMEs and financial sector operators, supported by an international service unit, to be based in Milan, acting as a strategic hub – technical and financial centre-, and operating as branch office of the network partners.
In particular, EMDC will provide internationalization-support services such as business events (trade missions, exhibitions), tailor-made assistance for the internationalization process including market research, preliminary diagnosis, support for the development of the strategy and partners’ research, as well as business to business (B2B) strategies.
The EMDC is conceived to work under the concept of synergy and twinning with international institutions and networks involved in Euro-Med economic development support.
The project will cover four priority countries in the region: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan. A second stage envisages the expansion of the scope to the remaining countries of the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region.
Micro, Small and Medium sized enterprises from the South and East Mediterranean countries involved in the project are the main expected beneficiaries of the initiative. In addition, public and private agencies are also expected to greatly benefit from this project, thanks to the capacity building programmes deployed.
About the promoter and partner institutions
The Euro-Mediterranean Development Center for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises is promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy and the Chamber of Commerce of Milan (PROMOS).
PROMOS is the Special Agency of the Milan Chamber of Commerce for the promotion of international activities. It is a specialized entity operating in the field of internationalization and local marketing with two main goals: supporting the competitiveness and development of companies in Lombardy on foreign markets; and strengthening the ability of the business system of Milan and Lombardy to attract investments and resources from abroad.