(ANSAmed) - CAIRO, MAY 21 - The Egyptian investment authority
(Gafi) today signed an agreement to enter the Euromed Centre for
the development of small and medium-size enterprises. The
project is an initiative of Promos, the agency of the Chamber of
Commerce of Milan that specialises in internationalisation in
the regional market to support the competitiveness of Lombard
and Italian companies on strategic markets and to attract
investments.
The initiative is supported by the European Commission and
the European Investment Bank, and is linked to the secretariat
in Barcelona of the Union for the Mediterranean, a statement
issued by Promos reads.
Based on the agreement that was signed by the general
director of Promos, Pier Andrea Chevallard, and by the president
of Gafi, Osama Saleh, the Egyptian investment authority will
join the EMDC project, which aims to form a technical service
network for the development and internationalisation of SMEs in
the Euro-Mediterranean area, with special attention for
bilateral initiatives in support of Egyptian and Italian
companies.
Egypt counts 2 million micro, small and medium-size
enterprises. Most of them, (98.1%), are micro companies active
in trade, manufacturing and services. Together they employ six
million people.
''With this agreement,'' said Chevallard, ''we focus on the
development of micro, small and medium-size companies in the
Euro-Mediterranean area. They will be the protagonists of
economic and social growth in the region.'' The agreement that
was signed today by the Egyptian body is another step in the
development of the Centre in which Morocco, Lebanon, Albania,
Montenegro and Tunisia share goals and operational procedures.
(ANSAmed).