Archive for category: Announcements

Deadline of Applications: 16/2/2024

We would like to inform you that the IDEA startup incubator has launched the 9th round of applications from start-ups, to facilitate the transformation of their innovative ideas through technology, into thriving businesses.

Through its 9-month program, IDEA offers selected startups unparalleled growth opportunities such as:

• Access to business education and business creation workshops
• Seed capital €20,000
• Custom guidance
• One-to-one business consulting
• Networking opportunities

Interested startups will have to meet specific criteria. Please see HERE.

Applications are submitted online HERE and will be accepted until 16th of February, 2024. For more information or inquiries, please call 22128144, email: info@ideacy.net, or visit the website at www.ideacy.net.

We would like to inform you that the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) is organizing a Matchmaking Event (B2B) under the framework of the 2nd Forward Green exhibition and congress event (FG Expo) and the 1st Renewable EnergyTech Expo exhibition of HELEXPO, which will take place from 8-9 March 2024, at the TIF-HELEXPO Exhibition grounds in Thessaloniki.

This event is addressed to companies, agencies, organizations, and governmental agents that are adopting modern practices for the utilization of raw materials, building materials, technologies, energy, recycling and packaging, which through innovative solutions and smart partnerships, will have a positive impact on reducing environmental pollution, increasing the sustainability of products and services, while creating new business opportunities.

Participants of the B2B event can take advantage of the hosted buyer program, offered by HELEXPO. The program covers travel expenses (accommodation and flight). Please note that accommodation and/or flights are arranged by HELEXPO and subject to the applicant receiving approval via email. To qualify for this program, the applicants must be buyers (i.e. importers, wholesalers, distributors, representatives of chain stores). More details here.

If you are interested in participating in the EEN B2B event, you should submit your business profile to the B2Match business meeting platform. Click here.

In the registration form, you need to precisely define your business profile and the type of collaboration you want to create. A detailed description of the business profile is extremely important as it increases the chances of arranging meetings with other participants.

After registering, you can view other companies’ profiles and book your business meetings.

To complete your registration and be approved, the “Marketplace item” field in your profile (e.g. Product/Service/Request) must be filled in.

For any questions regarding the completion of the profile, you can contact the CCCI, as a local EΕΝsupportcentreand co-organiser of the B2B event, at tel. 22889752, 22889769 or email: eency@ccci.org.cy

Invitation for participation in the business delegation accompanying Commissioner Mr. Janusz Wojciechowski in his trade mission

We would like to inform you that on 27 – 31 May 2024, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Janusz Wojciechowski, will conduct a Business Mission to Kazakhstan accompanied by a delegation of up to 60 high-ranking representatives of European companies/producer organizations in the food sector.

Specifically, the Commissioner will have oficial meetings with the respective government partners, and will carry out promotional activities for the business delegation in the context of the European Union’s participation in the InterFood Astana Exhibition.

ThevisittoKazakhstanwill focus onprovidingmarketintelligence in the foodandbeverage sector, business-to-business activities, as well as retail and site visits. The business mission program is an ideal opportunity for representatives of European companies in the agri-food sector to discover the Kazakhstan’s market and establish direct business contacts both in the city of Almaty (Kazakhstan’s largest city by population) and Astana (capital and second in population city).

Business representatives participating in this mission should be active mainly, but not exclusively, in the following sectors: fruits, vegetables and their preparations, wines and aperitifs, preparations of pig meat and poultry, dairy products, cereals and their preparations.

The Commissioner would like to include in his business delegation European and national producers’ organisations and companies from all EU Member States with strong export potential. The final selection of the business representatives will be based on product and geographical balance of the delegation. In this context, the candidates’ representativeness of a given sector, their capacity to conduct international business and accessing challenging markets will also be taken into account.

Participants are expected to attend the entire program and must cover their own travel and accommodation expenses. Please note that only one person per company/organization can oficially take part in the business delegation. Other representatives may accompany the group, but may not be allowed to attend some events due to capacity limitations.

All Cypriot companies/organizations from the agri-food sector interested in participating in the business mission and taking part in the eventof business meetings, have the possibility to submit an application until 26th January, 2024 through the following link EUSurvey – Survey (europa.eu).

For any questions or more information, interested parties are invited to directly contact the Research Executive Agency, email: REA-AGRI-EVENTS@ec.europa.eu

The Announcement for this event can be found on the website of the General Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development: https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/events/agri-food-business-mission-kazakhstan-2024-05-27_en

Within the framework of the cooperation between ΕΕΝ Cyprus and the Trade Service, with the common goal of continuously promoting and strengthening the export levels of Cyprus, we would like to inform you that the Export Helpdesk of the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry, invites expressions of interest for finding importers abroad.

The invitation is addressed to Cypriot businesses wishing to export Cypriot products and services to countries covered by the MECI Trade Centers for 2024.

Interested parties can complete and send the APPLICATION to the Export Helpdesk for finding importers in the countries covered by the Trade Centers for2024at the following email addresses: epitsillidou@meci.gov.cy, keleftheriadou@meci.gov.cy until 31/01/2024.

Applications for India, Russia, China and UAE, please complete the English form.

Additionally, as advised by the Commercial Counselor in China, applications should be accompanied by a business profile and information about products and services in Chinese to enable promotion in that country.

For more information, you can visit the MECI websites, HERE and HERE, which contain details of the EHD and the countries covered by the Trade Centers.

We would like to inform you that the European Commission has amended the following three (3) de minimis regulations:

1. COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 717/2014 of 27 July 2014 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid in the fisheries and aquaculture sector (EC Press Release)
2. COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 1407/2013 of 18 December 2013 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid
3. COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 360/2012 of 25 April 2012 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid granted to undertakings entrusted with the operation of services of general economic interest (Text with EEA relevance)

In particular, the adopted amendment to the de minimis Regulation 717/2014 for fisheries aid includes the following changes:

• The extension of the validity of the revised Fishery de minimis Regulation until 31 December 2029.
• The increase in the de minimis aid ceiling per company over three years, from €30,000 to €40,000, subject to the establishment of a central national register.
• Only the primary production of fishery and aquaculture products will remain covered by the Fishery de minimis Regulation, whereas the processing and marketing of such products will be covered by the General de minimis Regulation.
• The recalculation of the so-called ‘national caps’, i.e., the maximum cumulative amounts of de minimis aid that can be allocated per Member State. The national caps were updated based on more recent data relating to the primary production of fishery and aquaculture products only. In the case of Cyprus, an increase in the National Ceiling over three years from €1,090,000 to €1,324,372.
• Certain operations excluded from the scope of the Fishery de minimis Regulation will exceptionally be allowed for the EU’s outermost regions, to facilitate the modernisation of small vessels and address, among other things, safety concerns in these regions. This is one example of the targeted measures for the outermost regions under Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.

The amendments to the general rules for small amounts of aid (known as the de minimis Regulation or Regulation 1407/2013/EU) include the following main changes:

• Increase the cap per company from €200,000 (in force since 2008) to €300,000 over three years to cover the inflationary increase.
• Introduction of an obligation for Member States to register de minimis aid in a central register at national or EU level from 1 January 2026, with a view to reducing reporting obligations for companies.
• Introduction of safeguards for financial intermediaries to further facilitate aid in the form of loans and guarantees, no longer requiring a full transfer of benefits from financial intermediaries to final beneficiaries.
• Alignment of the threshold for road freight transport for third parties with the threshold of €300,000 in the de minimis General Regulation.

The amendments adopted for the general rules on small amounts of aid for Services of General Economic Interest (also known as the de minimis SGEI Regulation or Regulation 360/2012/EU) include the following main changes:

• Increase the cap per company from EUR500,000 (in force since 2012) to EUR 750,000 over three years to cope with inflation.
• Introduction of an obligation for Member States to register de minimis aid in a central register at national or EU level from 1 January 2026, thus reducing reporting obligations for companies.

You can find the definition of Services of General Economic Interest HERE.

The above amended regulations, which exempt small amounts of aid from EU state aid control as they are deemed to have no effect on competition and trade in the Single Market, will enter into force on 1 January 2024 and will apply until 31 December 2030.

It is worth mentioning that the Republic of Cyprus has already created the National Central Registry as of 1 January 2022 and therefore the Office of the State Aid Registrar will be awarded for this initiative.

Additional details can be found in the Circular issued by the Office of the State Aid Controller.

For clarifications and any questions regarding the legal framework governing the granting of State aid, please contact directly the Office of the State Aid Controller at 22308930, or by E-mail: commissioner@publicaid.gov.cy