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COM (84) 169 
 
 
 
Vol. 1984/00 60 
  
 
Disclaimer  
Conformém ent au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique 
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, 
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003 
(JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p. 1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents 
classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit 
règlem ent. 
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Econom ic 
Communit y and the European Atom ic Energy Communit y (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as 
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243, 
27.9.2003, p. 1), this file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this 
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation. 
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom  1. 
Februar 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen 
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgem einschaft (ABI. L 43 vom  15.2.1983, 
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. Septem ber 2003 
(ABI. L 243 vom 27.9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit 
erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in dieser Datei in Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5 
der genannten Verordnung freigegeben. 
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(84) 169 final. 
Brussels, 28 March 1984.
BUSINESS COOPERATION CENTRE 
EIGHTH PROGRESS REPORT
(Years 1980 - 1 9 8 3)
COM(84) 169 final.

BUSINESS COOPERATION CENTRE  
EIGHTH PROGRESS REPORT
(Year· 1980 - 1983)
Introduction
The Business Cooperation Centre (B.C.C.) which was set up in 1973 (1)
and whose mandate was confirmed by Commission decision in 1976 (la),
has the following tasks :
1. Introducing those business, in Community countries, wishing to  
cooperate or form links.
Point 2 of the 1976 decision and the decision of 20 July 1977 (lb)  
extended the Centre's purview to cover a number of non-Community  
countries (Canada, the Scandinavian countries and Austria) and, from  
1  April 1983, Yugoslavia. Additionally, the 1977 Commission decision  
allows the Centre to be selective and to approach firms itself.
2. Supplying certain general information to firms.
3. Informing the Community institutions on barriers to cooperation between  
businesses (Commission decision of 21 June 1973).
4. Performing certain coordination tasks in the field of sub-contracting  
(Commission decision of 16 December 1976).
5. Giving priority treatment to requests for transnational cooperation  
from the three applicant countries :  Greece, Spain and Portugal (lc) -  
Greece was not yet a member of the Community when the Centre was set  
up - to help them adapt to the Community market (see Annex I)
(1) Commission decision of 21.6.1973 (Written Procedure C/1721/73 of 2.7.73)
(la) Commission decision of 16.12.1976 (COM(76) Min. 410, 23.12.1976)
(lb) COM(77) Min. 439, 25.7.1977
(lc) C0M(80) 448 final of 24 July 1980, '6th and 7th Progress Report of  
Business Cooperation Centre (1978 and 1979)'.

-  2 -
A. REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES OVER THE FOUR YEARS
a. Individual contacts
When the Commission approved the Centre's Sixth and Seventh  
Progress Reports (1), it set the B.C.C. two objectives, in order  
of priority :
- to support as broadly as possible the small and medium-sized  
enterprises of the three candidate countries in their efforts  
to adapt to the market conditions of the European Community;
- to maintain a certain contact structure for the small and medium­
sized enterprises of the Community to assist them in their search  
for transfrontier links.
Of the three countries waiting to join the Community at the time,  
Greece made greatest use of the Centre's services. Between 1980  
and 1983, some 155 requests for information and 44 requests for  
partners were received from Greece; the Centre made 74 replies and  
contacts in response.
Only 55 requests for information and 41 for partners were received  
from Spain, with 58 replies and contacts made in return.
The figures for Portugal were 33, 21 and 70 respectively.
Over the same four-year period the B.C.C. received a total of 1.598  
requests for information plus 334 requests for partners and made  
3.930 replies and contacts.
Annex II gives detailed statistics on the B.C.C.'s information  
and partner search activities between 1973 - 1979 and in 1980,
1981, 1982 and 1983.
(1) C0M(80)448 Final of 24 July 1980, 'Sixth and Seventh Progress Report  
of the Business Cooperation Centre (1978 and 1979)'.

- 3 -
Past experience, combined with the imbalance between supply demand  
for business partners, have forced the Centre to think about its  
future, and in particular about how to achieve the two above mentioned  
objectives. A few ideas on this point are set out in Section B on  
the 'Programme for 1984 and 1985'.
b. Conferences, seminars and missions
Naturally, the collective contacts - in this case seminars and  
conferences - serve the same aims, i.e, give priority to Greece,  
Portugal, Spain and the peripheral and border areas of the Community,  
whilst at the same time making every effort to maintain a Community­
wide liaison service.
The aim of such collective events is to enable industrialists and  
businessmen in the country concerned, be it a new member or an  
applicant country, to acquaint themselves with the Community market  
and to alert industrialists in other Member States to the scope for  
cooperation on the local market. The symposia also enable individual  
industrialists to forge useful contacts with their counterparts.
As instructed in the Sixth and Seventh Progress Report, the Centre  
has been focusing its efforts on Greece and the two applicant  
countries. A symposium on industrial investment and cooperation in  
Greece was held in Brussels on 19 March 1981, followed by a second,  
more specialized, symposium on the agri-foodstuffs industry on  
24 and 25 June 1982 in Athens and a seminar on industrial cooperation  
between the Community and Portugal in the textiles/clothing and  
ceramics industries on 15 and 16 November 1982 in Brussels.

- 4 -
The enormous success of these three events, from the point of view  
of both attendance and practical results, has enhanced the Centre's  
prestige in trade circles in the Community in general and in the  
countries directly concerned in particular.
At the same time, the Centre has helped to arrange information and  
sectoral training missions for Greek and Portuguese entrepreneurs  
and officials (see Annex III A).
In the course of 1983, the Centre contributed in a wide range of  
meetings held to mark the European Year of the Small and Medium-  
Sized Enterprises and the Craft Industry (see Annex III B).
c. Promotion of sub-contracting
The Centre's efforts to promote sub-contracting, initiated at the  
behest of the industry and subsequently provided for in the 1976  
Commission decision (1), are intended to bring about closer inte­
gration of economic activities throughout the European Community  
and, in particular, to enable small firms to blend into the economy.
Several steps have been taken in furtherance of these aims :
- The B.C.C. has compiled and circulated two multilingual nomencla­
tures (2) - one for the metals sector, the other for the plastics  
and rubber sectors - which are widely used by the companies  
concerned, both inside Europe and beyond, and are available from  
the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.  
Electronic engineering, electrical engineering, industrial ser­
vices and, finally, wood and wood dérivâtes will be the next  
industries covered. A preliminary study on the electronic engi­
neering industry has already explored how far all or part of the  
existing nomenclatures could be used.
(1) Commission decision of 16 December 1976
(2) In Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek and Italian plus  
Portuguese and Spanish.

- 5 -
- The Centre has compiled a register of sub-contracting exhibitions  
and fairs with a view to publishing a European fairs calendar to  
encourage small firms to plan to attend such events.
- The B.C.C. has organized periodic meetings of government sub-con­
tracting experts.
- Finally, the Centre has compiled a register of sub-contractors'  
exchanges and plans to coordinate their services by arranging  
exchanges of information or by interconnecting them through the  
national and Community networks.
B. PROGRAMME FOR 1984 AND 1985
a. Individual contacts
Two interesting phenomena have emerged over recent years - tradi­
tional 'matchmakers' (such as banks, chambers of commerce, trade  
organizations, consultants, lawyers, accountants and so on) have  
witnessed a boom in their partner search activities, which has  
been matched by a boom in the number of firms requesting informa­
tion or seeking partners for ventures of all kinds. It has also  
become clear that the traditional matchmakers encounter much the  
same problems as the firms themselves when they attempt to build  
up a market extending beyond the Member States' national frontiers.
Experience has also shown that the requests for partners and the  
offers circulated fall into four general categories :
1) requests for specialized (e.g. legal) information;
2) requests for business partners, including, for example, sub­
contractors;
3) requests for partners with a view to restructuring firms,  
including, for example, mergers (a typical B.C.C. activity);
4) requests for new manufacturing processes and technologies, i.e.  
for transfers of technologies and of new techniques (a typical  
DG XIII activity).

-  6 -
The B.C.C. has been thinking about its future. It must increase  
its resources, whilst at the same time ensuring that they are  
used effectively to further the Community’s, and in particular  
the Centre's, objectives.
More specifically, it must respond faster and handle more requests,  
perhaps even giving an immediate response, drawing on the outstan­
ding stock of offers circulated. Thought must also be given to  
the methods of sifting, i.e. of pinpointing and matching requests  
and offers. In the process the B.C.C. must attempt to ensure that  
firms from all parts of the Community are on the same wavelength.  
Technical requirements must also be clearly defined to provide a  
basis for meaningful talks between firms in different countries.  
Finally, the B.C.C. must be given the resources which it needs if  
it is to formulate proposals to encourage, respecting the competition  
regulations, cooperation between firms in the areas given priority.
b. Conferences, seminars and missions
In October 1984 the Centre, aided by the Spanish Ministry of  
Agriculture, will be holding a seminar as part of the first Tecno-  
Alimentaria fair in Barcelona.
During the informal preparatory talks, the Spanish representatives  
suggested that the seminar should focus on the agri-foodstuffs  
sector, indisputably one of the central elements in relations  
between the Commission and Spain.
The Centre will also continue to participate actively in the work  
of the COPEF (Permanent Conference of Chambers of Commerce and  
Industry in South-West France and North-East Spain),  which is an  
ideal forum for developing and promoting links between Spanish  
and French companies.

- 7 -
As far as its resources permit, the Centre will continue to orga­
nize information and sector-by-sector training visits for industri­
alists and officials from Greece and the two applicant countries.
c. Promotion of sub-contracting
The Centre's programme on sub-contracting will continue along the  
lines approved by the group of government experts on small busi­
nesses on 23 March 1982. This programme sets out to achieve the  
following objectives :
- to continue and speed up work on the harmonized multilingual  
nomenclatures, starting with the volume for the electronic  
engineering industry. Talks with the International Electrotech­
nical Commission (I.E.C.) have already started. Approaches will  
also be made to the leading customers, many of whom have produced  
nomenclatures on products and services for their own use;
- to compile a register of existing sub-contracting exchanges and  
endeavour to coordinate their activities by arranging extensive  
and frequent exchanges of notes between the organizers.
In this context, the Centre took a fresh initiative at the end of  
1982, which was endorsed by the government experts on sub-contrac­
ting on March 1983 :  a feasibility study on a Centre for short-term  
analysis of the sub-contracting market, a need often articulated  
by those responsible for sub-contracting exchanges. The aim is to  
afford small businesses easier access to information and enable

-  8 -
them to react more quickly to changes in the market. The results  
of the feasibility study could be turned to good account from 1985  
onwards in the form of closer cooperation (computerized if possible)  
between existing exchanges in Europe. They will be submitted to the  
group of experts in October.
Finally, the B.C.C. will explore the prospects for using the  
Community business cooperation network to build up a 'European  
stock exchange' for sub-contractors' services.
C. CONCLUSIONS
In 1984 and 1985 the Centre plans :
- to support firms as broadly as possible, particularly small and  
medium-sized enterprises in the countries applying to join the  
Community and in the less-developed, peripheral and border regions  
of the Community;
- to continue to act as a liaison body between the national sub-con­
tracting experts and the circles concerned;
- to press ahead with its work on a computerized system to match  
requests for business partners with the offers circulated and to  
explore the prospects for setting up a Europe-wide network for  
exchanging data on business cooperation and sub-contracting.

Annex I
.  Set up (1) initially for three years, the Business Cooperation  
Centre of the Commission of the European Communities (B.C.C.) had  
its mandate confirmed in 1976 (2).
,  The Commission's initiative was also consolidated by a special heading  
in section III of the general budget entitled 'subsidy for the opera­
tion of the Community Business Cooperation Centre' (3).
.  Administratively, the Centre is still attached to DG III, but it lost  
its autonomy with the Commission decision of 2 July 1980 on the  
restructuring of the Directorate—General for the Internal Market and  
Industrial Affairs (4).
.  The Centre's tasks have been modified by the Commission on a number  
of occasions. Its initial remit (1) was extended in 1976 (2) and  
amended in 1977 (5). In 1980, the Commission laid down priority  
tasks for the Centre in adopting the Sixth and Seventh Progress  
Report (6).
.  The various annual reports have stressed the difficulty of achieving  
a satisfactory level of efficiency in view of the discrepancy  
between the scale of the tasks assigned to the Centre and its lack  
of personnel (7).
(1) Commission decision of 21.6.73. Written procedure C/1721/73 of 2.7.73  
following approval by the Council at its meeting of 16 and 17.4.1973
(2) Commission decision of 16.12.1976 (COM(76) Min 410, 23.12.1976,  
after opinion of COREPER at its 851st meeting of 26.5.1976).
(3) Article 422 (from 1973 to 1976), now Article 281.
(4) C0M(80) Min 566, 8.7.1980
(5) Commission decision of 20.7.1977 (COM(77) Min 439, 25.7.1977).
(6) COM(80) 448 final adopted by the Commission on 23.7.1980 (COM(80) Min 570).
(7) See in particular Fifth Progress Report, page 3, paragraphs 4 and 5  
(COM(78) 328 final of 19.7.1978) (COM(78) Min 438, 27.7.1978).

-  2 -
At the end of March 1982, the Centre moved from its offices in rue  
Archimède to rejoin Division III/F/4 under whose administration it  
has been since 1980.
Its new address is :
6, Rond-Point Schuman (2nd floor)
B-1040 Brussels
Telephone :  230.40.91 :  230.39.49
Telex :  61655 burap.

Annex II
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE INFORMATION AND  
PARTNER SEARCH ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED BY THE BUSINESS COOPERATION CENTRE
OVER THE PERIOD 1973 - 1979  
AND IN 1980, 1981, 1982 AND 1983

-  2STATISTIC.;::. A WSIS OF THE INFORMATION AND PARTNER SEARCH ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED BY THE BUSINESS COOPERATION CENTRE OVER THE PERIOD
1973 - 1979 AND IN 1980, 1981, 1982 AND 1983
YEAR BDDK,FUKIIRLLNLGRSPPORTOTHER
NON-COM­
MUNITYTOTALGRAND
TOTAL
INFORMATION 1973-1979 25 4775119603126951512011155401510488 4374 4374 j
.  number of1980 5827658163117921849121238 5694943
requests 193! 663310541835772208522 947 5955538
— 1982 35296447740511118171325 3215859
* 1983 121011325282—83443
«1135972 .
PARTNER SEARCH 1973-1979 5310718145175922925124.18 696 696
.  number of1980 831142184-319867 102798
requests
circulated1981
198210
117
42
112
626
1512
31
;5
121
26
88
74
1114
.  59912
971
1983 54· “3814\—1219-2 591030
1973-1979 84519821791191166149812424547 91—40 7101 7101
.  number of  
replies1980
1981247
262215
1919
4235
197269
168155
1261  1
13l
1104
88153
11
1840
561290 
11408391
9531
1982 116186 I86103118624117161127 73010261
1983 131732141079314151142011 48610747
.  number of  
contacts 
made1  973- 
19301979 40
872
61  7
2102
131  36 
2269
930
3424
51 31 1515
5509
102509
611
1981 13611  22692-423"796 118 729
1  932 65141910- --5662 64793
V l 983 5 51596--12331 41834

-  3 -
ACTIVITIES OF THE BUSINESS COOPERATION CENTRE  
1  January 1980 - 31 December 1980
COUNTRIES
BDDKFUK IIRLLNLGRSPPORTOTHER 1 
NON.COITOTAL
1. Requests for information 5827 658163 117921849121238 569
2. Offers circulated
Mineral-extracting industries 2 2
Chemical12 21 143 l 15
Structural engineering2 54 1 313I 20
Mechanical engineering22 25 1 22l3 20
Electrical engineering1 3 2 1 . 7
Foodstuffs11
Textiles3 3
Clothing
Timber2 ’12 31 ■  9
Paper1 1 l1 3
Various
Construction & civil engin.11 1 1 4
Commerce 2 11 1 1 6
Transport 2 13
Services1 3 2-l1 3
TOTAL 83 11 42 1 84
.—31 98671 0 2

B.C.C. activities (1.1.80 - 31.12.80)
BDDK FUK IIRLLMLGR SPPORT]3THER T  
WN-COMOTAL
3. Number of replies receivedflJNITY
Mineral-extracting industries 24 33113
Chemical 6524 2283614 5 19 7200
Structural engineering 4230 14337 93 11 l 5182
Mechanical engineering 4947 1555022 2124 4155
Electrical engineering 1513 1161651 4 6 77
Foodstuffs 2 1433 2 15
Textiles 54 71 44 1 26
Clothing 15 1  5 4
11 16
Timber 66 16194 814 63
Paper 37 121 86 6 1 43
Various 112
Construction & civil engin. 1412 17133 454
Commerce 1332 l221 3628 14 7153
Transport 115 1126 1- 36
Services 1926 1202646 10 11 5155
TOTAL 247215 9235|  269 155 1 1 1104 -31401290
4. Contacts made13 22 13 1 1102

- 5 -
ACTIVITIES OP THE BUSINESS COOPERATION CENTRE 
1  January 1981 - 31 December 1981
-BDDKFUKc*o
IIRLLNLGR SPPORT3THER
qON-COf·TOTAL
1. Requests for information
2. Offers circulated  
Mineral-extracting industries6633 105418357722085
♦
122947
1595
2
Chemical 211 13 23 13
Structural engineering 2 232 33 1 16
Mechanical engineering 2 1393 2 12124
Electrical engineering 2 14 2 11 11
Foodstuffs 2 41 5 11 14
Textiles 1 2 3
Clothing 1111 4
Timber 1 113
Paper11
Various
Construction & civil engin. 1 113
Commerce
Transport 426
Services 21 161 2 1 14
TOTAL 1 0 7 21 22 61 21-.  52 1 6841 1 4

-  6 -
B.C.C. activities (1.1.81 - 31.12.81)
3. Number of replies receivedBDDKFUK IIRLL |NLGR SPPORT3THER
TON-
COMMUN­
ITY|TOTAL !11
i•A
Mineral-extracting industries 31 2155 1  1  27 i
Chemical3823 2220 9 8 64130
Structural engineering6434 283841 31144 212241
Mechanical engineering4734 1602932 4 2121415252
Electrical engineering1812 131372 91 1480
Foodstuffs19 5 814 12 8 l58
Textiles110 26 61 26
Clothing4 6313
Timber1322 2356 31 1359
Paper83 337 1 25
Various
Construction & civil engin. 39 32 3 20
Commerce71 51 12 1220
Transport515 1123 72 45
Services3222 13321 9 2 72 312144
TOTAL 2621 9 1 41 9 71681 2 6 1 31881 511 85 61140
4. Contacts made13 1226 23

ACTIVITIES OF THE BUSINESS COOPERATION CENTRE  
1  January 1982 - 31 December 1982
COUNTRIES ------ — — —rv
rwTTT?
"BDDK FUKIIRL LNLGRSPPORTNON.COMTOTAL
1. Requests for information
2. Offers circulated  
Mineral-extracting industries3529 64477
3 3=5* = = =40 51111817 13
125 321
1
Chemical 21 2 12 1 9
Structural engineering 221 5
Mechanical engineering 111171 1 3 2 18
Electrical engineering2 1 126
Foodstuffs1 1
Textiles--- ----
Cl
othing
Timber2 11 4
Paper1 l13
Various
Construction & civil engin. 11
Commerce11
-
|  Transport 11
Services 152 1 9
TOTAL 1 14161 53--128 71 5 9

-  8 -
B.C.C. activities (1.1.82 - 31.12.82)
3. Number of replies receivedBD "DKFUK. IIRLLNLGRESPPORT p
cTHER
0N-
OMMUN-
ITYTOTAL
Mineral-extracting industries11 1 3
Chemical 1822 1181719 1 8 3 22111
Structural engineering1331 151981 533 25105
Mechanical engineering 5259 151318 915 78187
Electrical engineering 1114 3973 21 151
Foodstuffs18 41111 2 2 48
Textiles 35 115 2 17
Clothing 39 344 31 27
Timber 74 63 1324
Paper 4l 410 1 2 1 23
Various
Construction & civil engin. 1 2 14
Commerce44
Transport7 73 32 22
Services423 16 532 11454 9104
TOTAL 1  1 6186 186,°31  1 8 62411 716 1 127 730
4. Contacts made19 10

ACTIVITIES OF THE BUSINESS COOPERATION CENTRE- 9 -
1  January 1983 - 31 December 1983  
COUNTRIES
BDDKFUK IIRLLNLGRSPPORT C iJTHER
ION-CONTOTAL
1.Requests for information 1210 1132528 2
=======I II In00 I I I II
II I344311
3
2.Offers circulated  
Mineral-extracting industries
Chemical1 4 I3 9
Structural engineering1113
Mechanical engineering22 133 11
Electrical engineering1121.  5
Foodstuffsl4 5
Textiles112
■ ■  .— >  —
Cl
othing11
Timber
11
Paper
Various112
!
iConstruction & civil engin.  
Commerce133
1
Transport
Services2 1 631
11 11
15
TOTAL 531391 5 1-121 7 2 5 9

B.C.C. activities (1.1.83 - 31.12.83)
3. Number of replies received
Mineral-extracting industries
Chemical
Structural engineering
Mechanical engineering
Electrical engineering32
!  1
27
34
Foodstuffs
Textiles
Clothing
Timber
Paper
Various
Construction 6 civil engin.
Commerce
Transport
Services
TOTAL1
2
10
13
131n
20DK
10
4. Contacts made73
53
3
2
14UK
2 5
10
18
1811
2 7IRL
1517
19
107938
1NLGRSPPORT
1414OTHER 
NON- 
COMMUN­
ITY
20TOTAL
i l103
41
no
66
1 2
12
64
16
55
486
41

Annex III A
Organization of trade missions in individual sectors  
a. Trade missions by EOMMEX (1)
The Business Cooperation Centre has established useful contacts  
with the Greek Ministry for Coordination, the Athens Chamber of  
Commerce and EOMMEX.
The Centre and EOMMEX have agreed to organize trade missions to  
various Member States with a view to facilitating contacts between  
Greek and Community industrialists sector by sector. On average  
these missions last one week and involve groups of around ten small-  
business leaders; they are often timed to coincide with trade fairs  
and exhibitions. The Centre facilitates contacts between EOMMEX and  
the relevant national federations and prepares a detailed programme  
of visits in advance with among other things, round-table dis­
cussions between industrialists in the host country and members  
of the visiting mission.
Visits to factories, vocational training institutes and research  
centres also form a useful part of these trade missions.
The missions are part-funded by the ESF and comprise four stages :
- management courses held in Greece;
- selection by the Greek trade organization of businessmen to  
undertake a mission abroad in the company of an EOMMEX official;
all the businessmen who have been on a visit or mission abroad are  
asked to talk to fellow businessmen about their experiences at  
the meetings organized by EOMMEX;
- finally, conferences are held on topics of relevance to the sector;  
these are attended by Greek lecturers and foreign specialists.
(1) EOMMEX :  Hellenic Office for Small and Medium-sized Businesses and Crafts
16, Xenias Street  
ATHENS 611, Greece

-  2 -
The Centre has organized the following missions in conjunction with  
EOMMEX :
1 9 8 1
Sector
Leather goods  
Knitwear
Aluminium window frames
Marble
Ceramics
Ceramics
Cabinet-makingCountry visited
Italy
France
Germany
Italy
Italy
Ireland
FranceDate
1  - 7 February 1981
21 - 26 May 1981
22 - 26 June 1981  
11-19 September 1981
3 -  8 October 1981
4 -  10 October 1981  
26-31 October 1981
1 9  8 2
Sector
Furniture
Repair of agricultural  
machinery
Dressmaking
Tanning
FurnitureCountry visited  
Italy
Belgium
United Kingdom
Italy
ItalyDate
31 Jan. - 7 Feb. 1982
13 - 16 February 1982  
23 March - 3 April 1982  
2 - 8  May 1982  
19-26 September 1982

- 3 -
19 8 3
Sector
Jewellery
Furniture
Furniture
Marble
Aluminium window frames  
Marble
Textile machineryCountry Visited
Italy
Germany
Italy
Italy
Germany
Italy
ItalyDate
22 - 29 January 1983  
16 - 20 May 1983  
25 May - 5 June 1983  
3 - 9  June 1983
5 - 8  September 1983  
20 -25 September 1983  
17-22 October 1983

- 4 -
b. Trade missions by the IAPMEI in Portugal (1)
The Centre has also organized collective contacts, sector by sector,  
between Community industrialists and their counterparts in the  
applicant countries in close cooperation with IAPMEI and its depart­
ment dealing with assistance towards international cooperation.
Five different missions covering four sectors were arranged at the  
end of 1981 :
Sector Country visited Date
Footwear (6 IAPMEI  
officials)
Footwear (group of  
14 industrialists
Furniture (group of
5 IAPMEI officials)
Machine tools (group of
6 IAPMEI officials)
Visit to the Commission  
in Brussels by a group  
of 18 IAPMEI offcialsItaly
Italy
Italy
Italy
Belgium30 Nov. - 4 Dec. 1981  
13-19 December 1981  
23 Nov. - 4 December 1981  
23 Nov. - 4 December 1981
7 - 9  December 1981
By and large, the initial results of these visits have been encoura­
ging. The missions usually consist of visits to production units of  
varying 3izes, meetings with heads of research centres and vocational  
training colleges and round-table discussions with trade organizations.
All the Portuguese officials who have been on these missions are urged  
to pass on their training and information to managers and foremen in  
their own country (programmes A and D in the pre-accession aid plan  
for Portugal).
(1) IAPMEI :  Institute for Assistance to Small and Medium-Sized Indus­
trial Firms
Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca, 73  
1297 LISBOA-CODEX (Portugal).
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In order to make faster progress in dealing with partner search  
requests and to stimulate wider interest in this activity, direct  
contacts have been established, with the collaboration of IAPMEI  
officials, in the industrial areas of Guimaraes (textiles), Fermen-  
telos (mechanical engineering) and Bucaco (ceramics).
In 1982,  IAPMEI widened its interest in this kind of contact to  
other fields and organized trade missions to countries and indus­
tries not previously visited :
Sector
Energy conservation  
(Energy Bus)
Sub-contracting
Timber - Metals -  
Electronics
Technology Centre
Footwear
FurnitureCountry visited  
Italy
United Kingdom
Netherlands
Ireland
France
ItalyDate
March - April 1982  
March - April 1982
March 1982  
May 1982
November - December 1982  
November - December 1982
The footwear mission to France in November and December 1982 bore  
its first fruit in December 1983,  when a party of French businessmen  
made the return visit to Porto.

Annex III B
European Year of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and the Craft Industry
- The Greek National Committee set up at the start of 1983 to sponsor a  
series of events in Greece in the course of the Year decided on  
'prospects opened up for small businesses by the development of sub­
contracting' as its topic of interest to all members of the Community.
With the help of EOMMEX ( the Hellenic Office for Small and Medium­
sized Business and Crafts), the Centre successfully staged the confe­
rence on this issue in Athens on 6 and 7 October 1983, attracting a  
large audience of experts and businessmen from all over Europe, most  
of them from the buyers' side. The conference gave small Greek sub­
contracting firms an opportunity to voice their views and to display  
their export potential.
- The seminar on cross-frontier cooperation between firms in Europe -  
held in Brussels on 27 and 28 October 1983 - was the first meeting of  
its kind between representatives of the Permanent Conference of  
Chambers of commerce and Industry from all the border regions in the  
Community and from the countries which have applied to join the  
Community or are simply associated with it.
One proposal which emerged was to set up a standing liaison committee  
to ensure a continuous exchange of information and notes between the  
organizations concerned. The Committee would also provide a bridge  
to the Commission of the European Communities and to the Council in  
Europe.
The B.C.C, was active on the committee dealing with ways of establishing  
closer economic ties.
- On 11 and 12 November 1983 the Centre contributed in the First European  
Convention for Company Founding in Strasbourg, where it played an  
active part on the Commission on company founding through expansion  
and the role of the companies.
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After that, on 23, 24 and 25 November 1983, B.C.C. representatives  
went to Barcelona for the seminar on S.M.E.s in the E.E.C. arranged  
by the E.S.A.D.E. (Escuola Superior de Administracion y Direccion de  
Empresas, the Business Administration and Management School).
Then at the conference closing the Year in Strasbourg on 8 and 9 Dec­
ember 1983, the Centre joined in the work of the Committee on the  
Administrative Environment of S.M.E.s :  Information, Advice and  
Assistance.
Finally, the Centre was represented at the conference on 'small  
business coming to terms with its environment', held by the Nether­
lands National Committee in Tilburg on 9 and 10 November 1983.