Bucharest, November 24 – Following two successful phases (Construction & Building Technologies and Fashion Design), Deloitte Romania continues the implementation of the EU Gateway project with a new phase for Environment and Energy-related Technologies, with a final deadline for applications set on January 5, 2009.

The EU Gateway program, an initiative of the European Commission which is exclusively implemented by Deloitte’s EU practice, aims at facilitating access to Japan and Korea, in markets difficult to penetrate (particularly the highly regulated technological sectors). It covers six economic sectors in each of the EU countries and will include business missions over the following six years.

“Romanian companies have shown unexpected interest in this project, Romania reporting so far more applications than the rest of the countries involved,” said Corina Ifrose-Murafa, Business Analyst la Deloitte Consulting and the person in charge of the project. “For the first phase of the EU Gateway program, we reported the highest number of applications in all EU countries (13, thus meeting the target for the whole region which also includes Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovak Republic). The second phase, aimed at Fashion Design companies, ended with ten final applications, with Romania thus being again regional leader at the number of applications.”

Analysts hope for a similar interest in the current stage of the project, which targets Romanian companies that develop and produce techniques and innovative technologies in the following sub-sectors: energy generation, management and control; energetic efficiency; used water treatment; air pollution; waste management; recycling; soil treatment; noise pollution.

“Applicants are being evaluated from the European and Japanese perspectives, based on three criteria: business strategy, capacity and viability, and development potential in the Asian markets,” explains Ifrose-Murafa. “In general, Romanian companies active in environment protection or the energy field import technologies, but I am certain – and the Romanian presence at international inventors’ fairs and the recent market dynamics confirm this – that there are plenty of local companies, including research institutes that have developed related technologies which can be successfully exported in Asian countries.”

The application process has two stages. First, companies need to fill in a form expressing interest, their eligibility thus being evaluated by Deloitte professionals. 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.

Companies eligible for the program must be based in the European Union and exist on the market for at least three – 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 and / or Korea. Companies must also prove track record in international business cooperation, and have a “solid” business strategy for entering the two Asian markets. In addition, their key decision makers must be English fluent speakers. Interested companies benefit from Deloitte assistance during the whole application process, as well as for the stages followings the acceptance into the program.

The project will continue with companies in Information and Communication Technology, Healthcare and Medical Technology, Interior Design and associated activities.

The EU Gateway Program organizes six cycles of Business Missions throughout six years until 2014-2015. The new business cooperation program with Japan and Korea is build upon the experience with the Gateway to Japan Program, which has successfully helped about 2,500 European Small and Medium Sized Enterprises to find business partners in Japan over the last 12 years. This project is also for large enterprises. The objective of the new EU Gateway Program is to offer an attractive support to facilitate partnerships between EU, Japanese and Korean companies in sectors characterized by significant size, growth and change.

Information on the new EU Gateway Program can be found on the campaign website: www.eu-gateway.eu or email at cifrosemurafa@DeloitteCE.com or czielonka@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.

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