The EU Gateway program, launched in July 2008, invites you to apply to a new economic mission taking place during March 24-28, 2014. This is dedicated to companies operating in interior design which are willing to enter the Japanese market. The application deadline is October 25, 2013.
“The increased interest of Europe in the Asian culture and traditions has led to the development of strong trade relationships between the two continents over time” said Ioana Vadan, Consultant within Deloitte Consultanta, and coordinator of this stage of the program. “Thus, active Romanian companies interested in furniture manufacturing and interior design were able to create new opportunities through this project. Romania is a continuously developing market, and its companies must have a high level of creativity in order to combine modern with traditional style”, she added.
The EU Gateway Program is initiated by The European Commission and aims to help the EU companies enter specific hi-tech and design sectors. Deloitte practices in the EU and Japan offer support and coaching to the companies from application stage until the end of the business mission. The program organizes yearly cycles of Business Missions until 2014.
The application process has two stages:
1. First, companies need to fill in a form expressing interest, their eligibility thus being evaluated by Deloitte professionals.
2. If they comply with the program’s criteria, they go to the second phase, filling in an application form.
The entire process takes place online, on www.eu-gateway.eu, with no financial effort from the applicant. Interested companies benefit from Deloitte assistance during the whole application process, as well as for the stages following the acceptance into the program.
Companies eligible for this program must be based in the European Union and exist on the market for at least five years. Selection criteria also include being fully or majority-owned by European Union capital, and having sufficient turnover and employees so as to guarantee the market entry in Japan. Companies must also have a proven track record in international business cooperation, and also a “solid” business strategy for entering the Asian market. In addition, their key decision-makers must be fluent English speakers.
Information on the new EU Gateway Program can be found on the campaign website: www.eu-gateway.eu or send an email to ivadan@deloitteCE.com or jkedziora@deloittece.com. Program operators in the Member States are available to provide companies with more detailed information about the program and the individual EU Gateway sector events.
