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European
Union programs in Asia
- ASIA
INVEST
- EUROPEAN
INVESTMENT BANK
- EU-CHINA
SMALL PROJECT FACILITY
- EUROPEAN
COMMUNITY INVESTMENT PARTNERS (ECIP)
- ASIA Urbs
PROGRAM
I.
ASIA INVEST
1) Presentation
The Asia-Invest Program
is one of the most important new initiatives the European Commission
has developed to promote business co-operation between companies,
especially SMEs, in the EU and Asia. It provides a range of instruments
to:
- help companies research
in new market
- do business in unfamiliar
cultural environments
- meet and evaluate
potential partners
- identify investment
opportunities
The Asia-Invest Program,
launched in 1997, covers a five-year period with a budget of Euro
45 million.
2) Countries eligible
to participate
The Members States of
the EU, China and the countries of South and South East Asia.
3) The Asia-Invest
Network
An Asia-Invest network
in both Asia and the EU is developed and consists of different components:
- The "Euro-Info-Centres"
linked-up to organisations such as
- - "European Business
Information Centers" (EBICs)
- -"Technology Information
Promotion System"(TIPS) in Asia
- The Secretariat
which is in charge of:
- - the BC-Net/BRE
(Business Co-operation Network/Bureau de Rapprochement des
Entreprises)
- - the training
and the animation of the sub-network of members specialised
in different geographical areas .
- Asia-Invest antennae
have been appointed in the various EU Member States to promote
the program and to disseminate information to targeted organisations.
- The Asia-Invest
Membership Scheme, it is open to organisations which represent
companies like chambers of commerce, professional associations
or sector organisations.The scheme allows member organisations
(private or public sector) to automatically receive newsletters
and to access the Bulletin Board(electronic link -free of charge-
that keeps the organisations from the different countries in contact)
4) The Business Priming
Fund
The Business Priming
Fund to prepare groups of European and Asian companies for business
co-operation. It is open to intermediary organizations like
Chambers of commerce, sector or professional organizations.
It has three main components:
- Market Place Monitoring,
it offers financial assistance for comprehensive studies into
business co-operation environments and opportunities. It is open
to intermediary organizations that can bring together no less
than twelve companies, usually from at least two Member States.
- Language and Business
Culture Familiarization, this component of the Business Priming
Fund co-finances courses and seminars that are organized to provide
companies with the necessary skills and information to approach
new business environments.
- Technical Assistance,
this scheme is geared to help Asian companies to upgrade their
capacities. It may involve project that enable the transfer of
technology, the training of trainers and/or private sector institutional
building.
5) Asia-Interprise
Asia-Interprise facilities
under the Asia Invest Program aim at supporting business-to-business
meetings which bring together SMEs from Europe and Asia to discuss
possible co-operation projects and partnerships. Those meetings
are sector specific. The program provides financial and technical
support for meetings which promote direct contacts between business
managers. Asia-Interprise events can take place in EU Member States
or in the Asian partner countries covered by Asia-Invest. At least
three partner organizations from two different Member States of
the EU and one Asian partner country must be brought together. For
the whole step-by-step process (information needed, criteria for
the award of the grant) please see annex.
6) Asia Investment
Facility
The Asia Investment Facility
provides financial and technical support for identifying, evaluating
and promoting focused business opportunities in eligible Asian countries.
As a focus for studies, a number of the Asian countries are selected
annually. Specifically, this facility provides for:
- conducting studies,
by country and by sector, into opportunities for business co-operation
between European and Asian Economic operators in the Asian countries
selected annually.
- disseminating the
findings of the above studies through workshops and publications
and providing assistance to European operators who demonstrates
proven interest in exploring investments in Asian countries.
- disseminating information
to Asian operators with respect to investment opportunities in
the European Union and advice to organizations in the EU to attract
investments in Asia.
7) Asia-Partenariat
It is an annual and multi-sectoral
meeting that brings managers from Europe and Asia into direct contact.
Pre-scheduled meetings are organized before the event and during
the two contact days, additional informal meetings can be arranged.
A China-Partenariat will involve at least four Chines provinces
and all EU Member States.
8) Information
and contacts
-
Web
site: http://www.asia-invest.com/ ( application
guidelines concerning the Business Priming Fund and/or Asia
Interprise instruments of the Asia-Invest program)
-
The
calls for proposals for the Business Priming Fund and
Asia-Interprise are available in all official EU languages on
the following website: http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex They are also published in
the OJEC ( Official Journal of the European Community)
-
For
activities under the Asia Investment Facility, calls
for tenders or for consultants are also published in the
OJEC
-
For
the organisation representing the interests of SMEs and which
would like to join the Asia-Invest membership scheme to gain
acccess to the Bulletin Board:
Mrs
Jonckheere, Tel 282 17 64
-
Asia-Invest
infopoint:
a) Euro
Info Centre/Bureau Economique de la province de Namur
E-mail
Sri@bep.be
b) Euro
info Centre- CCIB de Bruxelles
E-mail
Ccibrussels@cci.be
c) Kamer
van Koophandel en Nijverheid van Antwerpen vzw
E-mail
Lvl@kkna.be
II.
EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK
1) Presentation
EIB loans may be granted
to public or private borrowers in support of projects in all sectors
of the economy, ranging from communications, environment and energy
infrastructure to industry, services and agriculture. The EIB
finances large-scale projects by means of individual loans
(upward of EUR 25 million) concluded directly with promoters or
through financial intermediaries.There is a special application
process foreseen, the project is thensubmitted for examination
and approval firstly to the Management Committee of the EIB then
to its Board of Directors Small and medium projects are funded
indirectly through global loans made available to banks
or financial institutions operating at European, national or regional
level.
In Belgium, those are:
- Bank van Roeselar
- Banque Bruxelles Lambert
(BBL)
- Caisse Nationale de
Credit Professionnel (CNCP)
- CERA banque
- Credit Communal de
Belgique (CCB)-Dexia-
- Credit General
- Generale de Banque
S.A.
- Krediet Bank (KB)
- SNCI-NMKN
2) Information and
contacts
-
European
Investment Bank
100
Bd K. Adenauer
L-2950
Luxembourg
Tel
00/352/ 4379 3122
Fax
00/352/4379 3189
E-mail
m.bello@eib.org
Website
http://www.eib.org alias
-
Publications
- annual
brochure
-"EIB
information", quaterly bulletin
-"country
fact sheets", it covers the financing facilities in different
countries, region
- thematic
brochures, one covers the EIB lending and borrowing (oct98 available
in French)
III.
EU-CHINA SMALL PROJECT FACILITY
The European Commission
launched this program as a mean of providing a quick response
to small, high quality project proposals. The financial support
to any given project may range from EUR10 000 to 100 000. This
contribution may represent a subsidy of up to 100% of the total
project cost. The duration of the project may not exceed 6 months
and its implementation should take place in China.
1) Projects funded
under the EU-China Small Project Facility
- human resources development
- support to China s
reforms (political, economic and social)
- business cooperation
- environmental protection
- rural and urban development
- information about
the EU in China
2) Activities not
eligible
- activities which fall
within the scope of another EU-China co-operation program
- scientific or technological
research (cf. other programs, for details contact the European
commission s delegation in Beijing)
- individuals with allowances
for conference participation, etc
- humanitarian or emergency
assistance activities
- revenue producing
activities
3) Eligible applicants
Project proposals should
be submitted by Chinese applicants (governmental, non-governmental,
private sector or institutions). All payments will be made in
China to the Chinese applicant. More information on the application
process in the annex. See also most commonly asked questions about
the Small Project Facility.
4) Information and
submission of application forms
- EU-China Small Project
Facility
Delegation
of the European delegation
Office
C-705 Beijing Lufthansa Centre
50 Liangmaqiao
Road, Chaoyang District
Beijing
100016, China
Tel
(86-10) 6462 2066
Fax
(86-10) 6462 2067
E-Mail
eucspf@public.bta.net.cn
For more information,
you could visit the following sites:
EBNIC will also develop
and maintain a database of researchers and bioindustry interested
in EU/China interaction.
IV.
EUROPEAN COMMUNITY INVESTMENT PARTNERS (ECIP)
1) Presentation
ECIP serves primarily
as an aid to the creation or development of joint ventures and
privatisation or private infrastructure projects. Providing a
kind of financing not always readily available on market, ECIP
acts as a catalyst, unlocking other sources of finance, and so
gives support to other financiers as well as well as the entrepreneurs
themselves.
The scheme consists
of 5 financing facilities, designed to cover the successive stages
of an investment project:
- Facility 1: investment
identification
- Facility 2: investment
feasibility
- Facility 3: joint
venture funding
- Facility 4: human
resources development
- Facility 1B: privatisation
and private infrastructure projects
The ECIP financial
institutions are commercial, merchant or development banks and
are the link between the final beneficiary and the European Commission.
It enables the applicant companies to choose a financial institution
nearby their centre of operations. That is one of the features
of the ECIP scheme: its decentralisation.
2) How to get the
application forms
|
Contact
|
Facility
1 |
Facility
2 |
Facility
4 |
|
ECIP
Technical Assistance Unit (TAU)
|
YES
|
|
|
|
ECIP
Finacial Institutions
|
YES
|
YES
|
YES
|
3) Organisation or
institution through which the application must be made
|
Facility
1
|
Facility
2
|
Facility
3
|
Facility
4
|
Facility
1B
|
| Chambers
of commerce and professionals associations may apply directly
to the ECIP Technical Assistance Unit (TAU) or through an ECIP
Financial institution |
Application
must be made through an ECIP Financial institution. |
ALAMEDSA
governments and public agencies should apply directly to the
European Commission. |
4) Recapitulative
scheme
| |
Facility
1 |
Facility
2 |
Facility
3 |
Facility
4 |
Facility
1B |
|
Type of operation
|
Identification
of potential joint venture projects and partners |
Feasibilty
projects studies or pilot projects |
Joint
venture capital requirements |
Training,
technical or management assistance |
Preparation
of a privatisation or a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) or a Build
Operate Own (BOO) scheme in private infrastructure, utilities
or environmental services |
| Beneficiaries |
Chambers
of commerce, professional association and ECIP financial institutions
representing a group of companies
Individual
companies may not benefit from this facility
|
Companies
wishing to undertake a joint venture, a privatisation or a private
infrastructure project |
Joint
ventures established in the ALAMEDSA countries with locals by
EU partners, or local companies which operate under a licensing
and technical assistance agreement with an EU company |
ALAMEDSA
governments and public agencies |
| Type
of ECIP finance |
Grant
of up to 50% of the eligible costs |
Interest-free
advance of up to 50% of the eligible costs |
Equity
holding or equity loan of up to 20% of the incremental
capital of the joint venture
The financial
institution must cofinance the project
|
Interest-free
loan for large companies, or a grant
for small and medium sized companies of up to 50% of the eligible
costs
The Financial
institution must cofinance the project
|
Grant
of up to 100% of the eligible costs |
| Maximum
amount available |
EURO
100,000
|
EURO
250,000 (within this amount 50% of pre-feasibilty travel costs
may be financed up to EURO 10,000
The maximum
total support per project is EURO 1,000,000
|
EURO
1,000,000
The maximum
total support per project is EURO 1,000,000
|
EURO
250,000
The maximum
total support per project is EURO 1,000,000
|
EURO
200,000 |
| Access |
The
beneficiary may apply either directly to the EC, via the ECIP
Technical Assistance Unit (TAU) or through an
ECIP Financial Institution |
Application must
be made through an ECIP Financial institution
|
ALAMEDSA
governments and public agencies should apply directly
to the EC |
| How
to apply |
1) For
facilities 1,2 and 4, the use of the ECIP application
form is required. For facility 1, only Chambers of
commerce and professional associations can obtain application
forms from the ECIP Technical Assistance Unit (TAU) in Brussels
or an ECIP Financial Institution. For facilities 2 and
4 application forms can only be obtained from an ECIP
Financial Institution.
2) Complete
the application including all required annexes and explanations
3) For
facility 1 apply directly to the European Commission,
via the ECIP TAU or through an ECIP Financial institution.
4) For
facilities 2,3 and 4, it is required that all
applications are channelled through an ECIP Financial Institution.
The EC will not deal with facilities 2,3 and 4 applications
which are not channelled through an ECIP Financial institution.
5) Facility
1B is available to governments and public agencies of
the eligible countries and requests for information and funding
can only be submitted by them directly to the EC.
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5) Information and
contacts
- ECIP TAU (technical
assistance unit)
- 108 rue d Arlon
1040Bruxelles
- Tel 282 18 80
- Fax 230 41 14/
230 37 95
- E-mail eciptau@ibm.net
ECIP Financial
Institutions in Belgium
1) BANQUE BRUXELLES
LAMBERT (Avenue Marnix 24 Marnix 1+4//1000 Bruxelles//BELGIQUE)
- Mr Patrick Swalens
( Project and Export Finance)
- Tel 32/2/ 547
29 83
- Fax 32/2/ 547
31 91
2) GENERALE DE BANQUE
(I.T.F. (72-c) Rue Montagne du Parc, 3//1000 Bruxelles//BELGIQUE)
- Mr Luc Devos /
Mr Gilles Masson (Investment Facilities Adviser)
- Tel 32/2/ 565
25 34 - 32/2/ 565 46 28
- Fax 32/2/ 565
34 03
- E mail Luc.Devos@gbank.com
3) KBC BANK N.V. (
Havenlaan 2// 1080 Bruxelles// BELGIQUE)
- Mrs Karine De
Beule ( Foreign Trade Division Foreign Trade Service (8666))
- Tel 32/2/ 429
86 89
- Fax 32/2/ 429
81 81 - 32/2/ 429 81 71
4) SOCIETE BELGE D
INVESTISSEMENT INTERNATIONAL (168 Av de Tervuren Bte9//1150
Bruxelles//BELGIQUE)
- Mr Jean Speth
/ Mr Jacques Andre
- Tel 32/2/ 776
01 00
- Fax 32/2/ 770
66 38
- E mail SBI-BMI@skynet.be
V.
ASIA Urbs PROGRAM
The ASIA-Urbs program
is promoting activities in the different fields of urbanism (socio-economic
development, environment, infrastructure, urban poverty).The general
objective is to improve urban situations/conditions and promote
sustainable initiatives involving both private and public partners
on both sides. Existing international co-operation structures in
the municipalities/cities are considered to be the appropriate bodies
to prepare ASIA-Urbs project proposals and to implement activities.
1) Aims of the ASIA-Urbs
program
- the improvement
of urban environments in Asia
- the creation or
strengthening of links between local communities of the EU and
the Asia-Urbs region
- the mobilisation
or strengthening of the urban development capacities of the
partnerships
- the promotion of
durable and sustainable activities involving both public and
private partners of both sides
- the promotion of
information and awareness of the potential and opportunities
of this type of co-operation
The core activity of
the program is one of direct co-operation between local authorities.
This introduces new features that can be summarised as follows:
- the involvement of
the civil society ensures a more precise needs assessment and
better targeted beneficiaries. Raising resources at the local
business level to pay for infrastructures becomes possible.
- most projects implemented
within the program will be relatively small-scale. One of the
output will be the transfer of know-how about the preperation
of dossiers to be submitted to national and international donors
agencies, or to the private sector, for project financing.
2) Priorities of the
program
Priority will be given
to:
- innovative activities
aimed at forging and reinforcing networks of local governments
- project designs or
pilot projects where the substance and proporsed form of participatory
implementation has demonstration value
- identification schemes
designed to make the actors better able to formulate development
projects (this phase will have a maximum duration of one year
- sound proposals for
the carrying out of activities and for the dissemination of results.
New priority can be established every year following recommendation
of a to be established Asia-Urbs Steering Committee.
3) Eligibility for
a financing request
European and Asian local
authorities, with a legal status in their respective countries of
origin, are eligible to make a financing request. Presentation of
projects will be requested through call-for-proposals published
in the Official Journal of the European Communities and in the Asia-Urbs
Newsletters. Local authorities shall be solely responsible to the
Commission for the proper implementation of the project covered
by the contract. They shall be responsible for mobilising all the
financial, human and material resources foreseen under contract.
4) European Commission
financial support
a) Study for a project
proposal
The co-financing by
the European Commission and by the local governments after this
step will serve for conducting the feasibility study and for the
preparation of a project request to be submitted to the opinion
of the Steering Committee. Asia-Urbs will finance, on a grant
basis, up to 65% of the total cost of the study and for a maximum
of Euro 15 000. The duration foreseen for this study will be one
year from the moment of the signing of a grant by the Commission.
Any cost incurred by the parties of the activities before the
grant has been signed will not be reimbursed by the European Commission.
b) Pilot Projects
Asia-Urbs will finance,
on a grant basis, up to 65% of the total cost of the project up
to a maximum of Euro 500 000. The duration foreseen for each project
will be of 2 years from the moment of signing of a contract by
all the parties. Cost incurred by the contractors before the contract
has been signed will not be reimbursed by the European Commission.
5) Deadlines for the
presentation of proposals
Deadlines for applications
will be defined in the Official Journal of the European Communities
and in the Asia-Urbs Newsletters. The Newsletters, prepared by the
Asia-Urbs Agency, will be distributed in Europe to the competent
associations and in Asia to the Delegations/Representations of the
European Commission, to the existing international networks and
to the local authorities.
07 May 1999, by Stéphane
Simon, Student training at the Brussels Capital Region in Shanghai
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