COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS ‘Small Business, Big World— a new partnership to help SMEs seize global opportunities’
Date: 2011-11-09
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: aid to undertakings, developing countries, foreign market, foreign trade, globalisation, intergovernmental cooperation (EU), international trade, small and medium-sized enterprises

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 9.11.2011 
COM(2011) 702 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

‘Small Business, Big World 

— a new partnership to help SMEs seize global opportunities’ 

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

‘Small Business, Big World 

— a new partnership to help SMEs seize global opportunities’ 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The European Union needs to find new sources of growth to create jobs and wellbeing for its 
citizens. Major non-EU markets such as China, India, Russia and Brazil, with strong growth 
rates  or  potential  represent  significant  opportunities  for  EU  companies1.  Given  the  current 
economic  context,  exports  to  expanding  markets  outside  the  EU  can  be  a  solid  source  of 
economic growth. Internationalisation beyond the external border of the EU is the step SMEs 
need to take to go and seize these opportunities.  

Promoting  and  supporting  SMEs’  economic  activities  outside  the  EU  is  therefore  an 
important part of the Union’s overall competitiveness strategy as outlined in the Europe 2020 
flagship Communication on an Integrated Industrial Policy2, the reviewed Small Business Act 
for Europe3and the recent EU trade policy communication4. This builds on and complements 
the Commission’s commitment to boostthe benefits of the Internal Market for SMEs5.  

Europe’s 23 million SMEs6, account for two thirds of jobs in the private sector and 59 % of 
total value added in the non-financial business economy in 2010. Around 80 % of new jobs 
over  the  past  five  years  have  been  created  by  SMEs.  Sectors  such  as  machinery  and 
equipment or chemicals in Brazil or energy in India have already enabled our companies to 
achieve  significant  results,  and  many  more  examples  could  be  given.  To  pave  this  way  for 
businesses, Europe needs to boost their internationalisation process and provide the necessary 
support to SMEs when going international. 

While 25% of EU-based SMEs were involved in exports to the Internal Market and beyond in 
the  last  three  years,  only  13 %  of  EU  SMEs  are  internationally  active  outside  the  EU 
through trade, investment or other forms of cooperation with foreign partners7.  

1 

2 
3 
4 
5 
6 

7 

According to the OECD, developing and emerging markets are expected to account for 60 % of world 
GDP by 2030. 
COM(2010) 614. 
COM(2008) 394, reviewed in COM(2011) 78. 
COM (2010) 612. 
Outlined in the Single Market Act, COM (2010) 608. 
As defined in Recommendation 2003/361/EC, which the Commission adopted on 6 May 2003 and has 
applied  since  1  January  2005;  http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts-figures-analysis/sme-
definition/index_en.htm. 
Report 
December 
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/market-access/internationalisation/index_en.htm. 

Internationalisation 

European 

SMEs, 

2009; 

of 

EN 

2 

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Efforts  are  currently  deployed  to  further  deepen  the  Single  market  and  make  it  more 
accessible to SMEs as their natural ‘domestic’ market. 

The goal of the strategy which is proposed by this document is, on the other hand, creating the 
conditions to make SMEs equally engaged in markets outside the EU. 

Clearly,  the  activities  of  many  micro-enterprises  and  of  SMEs  in  non-tradable  sectors  are 
inherently  local  in  their  nature.  However,  there  remains  significant  untapped  potential  in 
tradable sectors, such as innovative manufacturing and creative industries, to expand outside 
the  EU  in  search  of  new  and  growing  markets,  export  revenues,  technology,  capital,  and 
productivity  improvements8.  There  are  indications  pointing  to  a  correlation  between 
internationalisation  and  firms’  competitiveness  and  innovation  capacity  when  compared  to 
only locally active SMEs9. It is this hitherto untapped growth potential of SMEs that the EU 
needs  to  unleash  in  order  to  boost  growth  and  create  employment  throughout  the  European 
economy10. 

The recent study  ‘Opportunities for the Internationalisation of SMEs’ by EIM Business and 
Policy Research, published by the Commission in August 2011, finds that out of a total EUR 
261.6 bn of EU  exports  to twelve target markets, including China, Japan, Russia, India  and 
Brazil,  SME-dominated  sectors  accounted  for  EUR  134.6  bn.  Depending  on  the  country, 
SME-dominated sector exports make up between 39 % and 62 % of the total11. 

Although  international  markets,  both  private  and  public,  offer  substantial  opportunities  for 
European companies, SMEs  face  particular obstacles to tapping the global market, not least 
when it  comes to  access to market  information, locating possible customers and  finding  the 
right partners. They also face more complex issues such as compliance with foreign laws, for 
example mandatory rules of contract law, customs rules, technical regulations and standards, 
managing  technology  transfer  and  protecting  intellectual  or  industrial  property  rights.  In 
dealing with such challenges SMEs are usually less well equipped with in-house expertise and 
financial or human resources12 than larger enterprises. 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

of 

SMEs, 

European 

Internationalisation 

A recent report points out that Europe’s SMEs are nowadays primarily seeking to tap into the rapidly 
expanding  middle  classes  in  emerging  countries.  Previously,  many  businesses  invested  in  or  sourced 
from emerging markets in order to lower their production costs (EIU: ‘New horizons: Europe’s small 
and medium-sized companies look to emerging markets for growth’). 
Report 
December 
2009; 
The 
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/market-access/internationalisation/index_en.htm. 
information provided by this study refers to SMEs activities in the Internal Market and beyond the EU 
borders. 
Over recent decades, liberalisation of the international movement of goods, services, capital, people and 
information  has  led  to  a  more  integrated  world  economy  in  which  cross-border  value  chains  are 
becoming increasingly important. The share of international trade in global GDP has tripled since the 
1950s.  Emerging  economies  in  Asia,  Latin  America  and  Africa  are  expected  to  provide  a  significant 
share  of  future  global  economic  growth  (cf.  footnote  1);  thus  many  new  opportunities  for  European 
enterprises will occur outside the EU. It is time for European businesses to harness globalisation to their 
benefit.  European  SMEs  need  to  be  in  a  position  to  benefit  from  this  growth,  at  the  same  time 
contributing to EU growth. 
Table  2.1,  page  20, 
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/market-access/enterprise-europe-
network/intern_event_en.htm. Henceforth referred to as the ‘Opportunities Report’.  
‘Poor  access  to  sufficient  human  resources’  was  a  major  bottleneck  in  doing  business  in  seven  key 
countries outside the EU. See Chapter 2 of the ‘Opportunities Report’. 

the  Internationalisation  of  SMEs’  August  2011, 

‘Opportunities 

for 

EN 

3 

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Helping  European  SMEs  overcome  obstacles  to  internationalisation  and  promoting  their 
integration  into  the  global  economy  forms  part  of  the  strategy  for  smart  and  sustainable 
growth  outlined  in  the  Europe  2020  agenda.  However,  public  consultations  among 
stakeholders conducted by the Commission in 2009 and 201113 revealed widespread concern 
about the potential dangers of the uncoordinated proliferation of support schemes in this area 
and the resulting suboptimal use of fiscal resources. 

With  a  view  to  both  our  Europe  2020  objectives  and  these  public  concerns,  this 
Communication  proposes  to  review  the  existing  support  structures  available  to  SMEs, 
identifies  the  main  problem  areas,  proposes  a  set  of  measures  where  European-level 
action  can  add  most  value,  and  sets  out  guiding  principles  for  the  most  coherent  and 
efficient  use  of  scarce  financial  resources  in  priority  markets  such  as  China,  Brazil, 
India,  Russia,  the  US  or  Japan.  It  aims  to  establish  a  more  coherent  and  effective  EU 
strategy  for  supporting  SMEs  in  international  markets,  to  propose  better  ways  of  offering 
them  relevant  information  and  assistance  in  their  attempts  to  penetrate  new  markets  and 
search for the right partners, and thus to make better use of existing resources. In this context, 
it  will  be  of  the  utmost  importance  to  take  into  consideration  the  specificities  of  SMEs,  in 
particular by size and sector of activity, tackling also the particular difficulties experienced by 
micro enterprises. The overall guiding principle in this Communication is to create synergies 
and encourage joining efforts to increase efficiency and bridge gaps between existing private, 
Member States and EU funded activities that already support SMEs in third countries.  

The Commission will play a crucial role in the coordination and governance of this process, 
also through setting up a periodic ‘SME Internationalisation Forum’ and with a specific focus 
on this topic at the regular meetings of Member States’ SME Envoys. In all these activities 
the representatives of the private sector will be involved. 

2. 

THE POLICY CONTEXT: EXISTING FRAMEWORK FOR SME SUPPORT 

Significant resources are already devoted to business support at national and EU level. This 
involves the public as well as the private sector. A recent survey for the Commission provides 
an  inventory  of  more  than  300  support  programmes14  for  the  purpose  of  assisting 
business internationalisation in the EU and its Member States15. A European strategy for 
SME internationalisation therefore has to take into account an existing landscape of diverse 
policies and implementation activities. Any activity or initiative already launched or still to be 
launched,  at  any  level,  should  have  SMEs  as  target  and  its  real  effectiveness  should  be 
measured on its capacity to achieve its objective. 

13 

After the first publication of an Issues Paper in 2009, the final consultation launched in May 2011 based 
on a series of guiding questions resulted in over 60 responses from a broad range of stakeholders. All 
found  at 
the  details  of 

the  consultation  and  a  summary  of 
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/international/listeningstakeholders/public-consultation-sme-

responses  can  be 

the 

14 
15 

support/index_en.htm. 
Programmes with a budget in excess of 2 million euros for the larger Member States. 
Opportunities Report. 

EN 

4 

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2.1.  Measures taken at EU level within and outside Europe16 

The EU's strategy for SMEs, laid out in the Small Business Act for Europe (SBA), launched 
by the Commission in June 2008, endorsed by the European Council in December 2008 and 
reviewed in 2011, called on the EU and the Member States to support SMEs and encourage 
them  to  benefit  from  the  growth  of  markets  outside  the  EU,  in  particular  through  market-
specific  support  and  business  training  activities.  The  SBA  Review  further  emphasized  the 
need for the Commission’s support in areas such as market access assistance, elimination of 
non-tariff  barriers,  guidance  on 
issues,  standardisation  and  conformity 
assessment17. 

regulatory 

In  terms  of  supporting  infrastructure,  the  Enterprise  Europe  Network  not  only  helps 
companies  and  in  particular  SMEs  to  reap  the  benefits  of  the  Internal  Market  but  also 
provides  support  for  SME  internationalisation.  The  Network  partners  in  Member  States  are 
often hosted by business support organisations at national and local level, thereby helping to 
integrate support structures from all countries. The Network helps SMEs through more than 
600 local partners worldwide: typically an SME will look for business support and guidance 
on  its  doorstep  when  it  plans  to  go  international,  whether  it  wants  to  exploit  the  business 
opportunities of the single market or reach into non-EU markets. 

The Commission’s renewed Market Access Strategy18 with its partnership approach between 
the  European  Commission,  Member  States  and  the  EU  business  community  makes  an 
essential  contribution  to  supporting  the  internationalisation  of  European  SMEs.  SMEs  are 
increasingly  active  in  export  markets  and  often  face  the  greatest  challenges  in  addressing 
trade barriers. SMEs benefit from the partnership approach both within the EU and in non-EU 
markets.  This  is  achieved  among  other  things  through  Market  Access  Teams  in  key  export 
markets  led  by  the  EU  Delegation.  The  Market  Access  Database  is  another  important  tool 
under  the  Market  Access  Strategy.  It  provides  freely  available  information  on  tariffs  and 
important  non-tariff  barriers  in  third  countries  and  an  exporter  guide19.  The  new  EU  Trade 
Strategy20 confirmed the usefulness of the Market Access Strategy and its services to improve 
access to global markets for EU enterprises. 

The European Customs Information Portal (ECIP) provides further practical information for 
prospective traders alongside e-learning tools and on-line databases21. 

The EU provides financial assistance to the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation and 
assistance to the EU Gateway Programmes and Executive Training Programmes for Japan and 
Korea  and  the  China  IPR  SME  Helpdesk.  The  EU  also  supports  a  network  of  (private) 
European Business Organisations (EBOs) in more than twenty markets abroad and business 
bodies in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. These existing organisations and programmes 
differ  in  their  purpose  and  the  range  of  services  they  provide  but  share  a  focus  on  helping 
mainly SMEs. 

16 

17 
18 
19 
20 
21 

A  more  detailed  inventory  of  EU  support  initiatives  can  be  found  in  a  background  document  at 
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/international/files/annexes-to-consultation_en.pdf. 
COM(2011) 78. 
COM(2007) 183. 
See http://madb.europa.eu/. 
COM(2010) 612. 
http://ec.europa.eu/ecip/index_en.htm 

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The European Parliament  has provided  funds to adopt  ‘Preparatory Actions’ for ‘promoting 
business, academic and scientific exchanges’. Some of these funds have been used to set up 
the European Business and Technology Centre in India and most recently EU SME Centres in 
China and in Thailand. Their objective is to provide comprehensive services for EU SMEs in 
non-EU markets. These first Centres in non-EU markets will provide valuable experience for 
future business support activities.  

There  is  clear  evidence  that  international  cooperation  activities  in  research  and  innovation 
foster competitiveness and market performance of firms in general and of SMEs in particular. 
The  EU  Framework  Programme  for  Research  offers  financial  support  for  such  type  of 
activities,  including  supporting  actions,  which  can  contribute  to  the  internationalisation  of 
SMEs. 

2.2.  Measures taken by Member States22 

Beyond  these  efforts  at  EU  level,  there  is  a  broader  and  even  more  significant  range  of 
business support activity in markets outside the EU offered by Member States, national 
chambers  of  commerce  and  the  private  sector  (business  associations  and  commercial 
consultants).  At  national  and  local  level,  business  organisations,  SME  agencies  and  trade 
promotion organisations have developed a wealth of expertise to assist the internationalisation 
of  SMEs.  They  mostly  deal  with  ‘core’  trade  promotion  activities  such  as  business 
matchmaking, trade fairs, business missions and specific market studies. On business-related 
activities  of  Member  State  embassies,  there  is  often  some  exchange  of  information  through 
regular  meetings  at  EU  level  organised  by  EU  Delegations,  especially  where  common 
interests are obvious, such as in coordinating activities against trade barriers. In other areas, 
however 
large  procurement  contracts)  competitive 
(e.g.  economic  diplomacy  on 
considerations among EU Member States tend to prevail. 

2.3. 

Lessons: the need for better cost effectiveness  

The broad rationale for the existing range of internationalisation support appears to be well-
founded,23  but  not  all  international  support  programmes  are  equally  effective.  The  large 
number  of  measures  and  bodies  contribute  to  a  situation  where  it  is  difficult  for  SMEs  to 
actually identify and make use of the available support.24 At a time when public finances are 
scarce, there is a strong case for considering how collaboration and networking within the EU 
could  increase  both  efficiency  and  impact  of  existing  measures25.  Therefore,  future  action 
should aim first and foremost at more transparency, more coherence and more collaboration 

22 
23 

24 

25 

See the inventory in the Opportunities Report.. 
A  recent  survey  of  EU  SMEs  with  international  experience  found  that  over  half  (63%)  of  such 
companies recorded an improvement in performance following participation in an international support 
programme; results taken from a survey of EU SMEs with international experience in the Opportunities 
report. 
The Opportunities Report shows that “even among SMEs that are already active on the global scene, 
only 27% are aware of public support programmes. What is more, only about 7% of internationalised 
SMEs use public support for their international business activities”. 
The example of the cooperation in Russia is a case in point. Action "to improve the overall investment 
climate  and  an  enabling  environment  for  EU  SMEs  is  already  being  carried  out  effectively  through 
cooperation at a high level between the European Commission, the EU Delegation to Russia, embassies, 
EU  business  associations,  national  chambers  of  commerce,  and  the  Russian  government",  see 
Opportunities Report. 

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to  deliver  a  more  cost-effective  "division  of  labour"  between  existing  EU  programmes, 
between  the  European  Union  and  its  Member  States,  among  Member  States,  and  between 
public and private sector bodies. EU actions should certainly not replace existing policies at 
national  or  regional  level,  but  rather  complement  them,  create  synergies  wherever  possible 
and introduce specific measures only where clear gaps are identified. 

There is also scope to assess the effectiveness of existing support measures at European level. 
A  thorough  evaluation  of  the  pilot  actions  concerning  EU  SME  Centres  should  determine 
whether similar initiatives would be useful elsewhere. Similarly, with an increasing number of 
Enterprise Europe Network partners outside the EU, the Network will need to strengthen its 
governance in order to enhance its services to European enterprises 

This  Communication  therefore  proposes  a  more  coherent  and  integrated  approach  to  SME 
support, based on a detailed mapping of existing support services in priority markets. It also 
establishes a set of guiding principles for EU action in this field. 

3. 

MAIN CHALLENGES FOR SMES LOOKING TO INTERNATIONALISE 

EU  SMEs  are  often  unaware  of  the  business  support  services  provided  by  the  EU, 
Member States or the private sector26. Here special attention should be paid to the fact that 
SMEs  look  for  a  first  point  of  contact  for  business  support  close  to  them.  The  different 
concepts and methods of business support within the EU and the wide variety of programmes 
and organisations at national, EU or global level put SMEs in a difficult position, as they lack 
the human and financial resources to identify or access suitable programmes27. Easier access 
to information already ‘at home’ for all EU SMEs would provide them with a better chance of 
finding  appropriate  services  tailored  to  their  needs.  This  Communication  therefore  looks  at 
the option of implementing an ‘International Business Portal’ online, providing a gateway to 
first-entry,  business-relevant  information  on  foreign  markets  and  an  overview  of  available 
support activities for markets outside the EU. 

In  particular,  many  SMEs,  especially  from  smaller  and  new  Member  States,  are  at  a 
disadvantage because their government or chamber of commerce is not present in many of 
the priority markets28. They therefore lack information and support and should be encouraged 
to  cooperate  and  also  exchange  experience  between  ‘export  veterans’  and  ‘newcomers’. 
Options to incentivise and motivate cooperation and networking among the diverse chambers 
of commerce and similar  organisations in  non-EU countries could be enhanced,  particularly 
where  the  varied  cultural  and  linguistic  assets  of  these  organisations  can  offer  substantial 
value. 

Other challenges are inherent to the nature of SMEs. Services provided by public and 
private  organisations  as  well  as  by  the  EU  or  Member  States  may  not  address  all  the 

26 

27 

28 

According  to  the  Opportunities  Report  ,  24 %  of  internationalised  SMEs  are  aware  of  public  support 
programmes  for  internationalisation  that  could  be  used  by  their  enterprise.  This  awareness  increases 
with the size of the enterprises: micro: 23 %, small: 36 % and medium-sized enterprises: 37 %, but it still 
represents a minority of SMEs. 
‘Out of the 24 % of international SMEs that are aware of public support programmes, less than one third 
of these companies use the programmes for their activities.’ Opportunities Report. 
The number of significant support measures provided by Member States in seven key target countries 
was found to vary between 4 and 25 in the Opportunities Report. 

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needs  or  may  not  be  sufficient  to  meet  the  demand  from  SMEs29.  Here  a  more 
comprehensive  analysis  of  the  local  situation  within  each  market  is  required  in  order  to  be 
able to assess what action might be needed and to explore the scope for increased efficiency 
and effectiveness from synergies, Europe–wide networking and cooperation. Given that local 
situations vary widely, a bottom-up approach ‘in the field’ is indispensable in order to identify 
gaps  in  the  services  provided  and  establish  where  EU-level  action  would  create  additional 
value. 

The Commission’s analysis also shows that the role of direct communication with SMEs is 
of crucial importance. EU SMEs willing to go international first need preparation at home, the 
right  skills  and  the  necessary  information  physically  close  at  hand  and  provided  mainly  by 
local  business  organisations30,  private  consultants,  or  over  various  online  sources.  Once 
operating abroad, their need for assistance in the target market itself is often more difficult to 
meet.  The  visibility  of  the  services  already  in  place  is  not  always  sufficient  and  SMEs  still 
face considerable difficulties when it comes to accessing markets outside the EU and entering 
into business cooperation with international partners. Surveys show that SMEs in general face 
difficulties in gaining useful information31. 

4. 

AN EU BUSINESS SUPPORT STRATEGY FOR SME INTERNATIONALISATION 

4.1. 

The EU's objectives for a business support strategy 

Building on the recently reviewed Small Business Act for Europe and the EU 2020 agenda, 
the  objective  of  this  Communication  is  to  set  out  a  coherent  EU  strategy  to  make  business 
services in support of European enterprises’ integration in the world economy more effective 
and efficient. 

The objectives of the new EU strategy are 

• 

• 

• 

• 

To provide SMEs with easily accessible and adequate information on how 
to expand their business outside the EU.  

To improve the coherence of support activities. 

To improve the cost-effectiveness of support activities. 

To fill existing gaps in support services. 

29 

30 

31 

Ibid.  ‘In  2009  40 %  of  SMEs  reported  a  lack  of  adequate  public  support  as  an  important  barrier  to 
internationalisation.’  
Local assistance for internationalisation within the EU provided by the Commission so far is limited to 
the  Enterprise  Europe  Network,  short-term  programmes  such  as 
‘Understanding  China’ 
(http://www.understandingchina.eu), a few SME Roundtables and seminars in several European cities, 
among other things to ‘train the trainers’ in chambers of commerce etc., and certain outreach activities 
of the Brussels branch of the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation (http://www.eu-japan.eu) to 
give more visibility to the Centre’s programmes also for EU SMEs. The majority of China IPR SME 
Helpdesk  activities  took place  within  the EU.  Providing  these  services close  to  SMEs  proved  to be a 
key element of success. 
‘44 %  of  EU  SMEs  reported  a  lack  of  adequate  information  as  an  important  barrier.’  Report 
Internationalisation 
2009; 
European 
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/market-access/internationalisation/index_en.htm.  

December 

SMEs, 

of 

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• 

To establish a level playing field and provide equal access for SMEs from 
all EU Member States32. 

The  instruments  that  will  be  used  to  achieve  these  objectives  are  described  in  the 
following sections. 

4.2. 

Achieving our objectives 

In order to follow the SME from the moment it decides to go international until the moment 
when  it  starts  operating  in  non-EU  markets,  the  Commission  will  work  along  the  following 
lines. 

4.2.1.  Mapping the support services environment at home and abroad 

The Commission will launch an in-depth ‘mapping’ and analysis of existing support services 
within  the  EU  and  in  non-member  countries.  This  exercise  will  involve  Member  States  and 
Market Access Teams in EU Delegations and is needed in order to identify possible gaps and 
overlaps in the current services offering33; it will provide the basis for assessing the need for 
any further action34. This will initially be done only for priority markets (see 4.2.5.2. below) 
by applying standard criteria for assessing the scope and availability of the support services in 
question. This stock-taking will need to cover private and public initiatives at local, regional, 
national and EU level. 

The  mapping  exercise  will  provide  an  overview  of  existing  local  services  by  private  and 
public providers in third countries, including Member States and EU-level bodies. In addition, 
Market Access Teams should bring together and coordinate local organisations, for example 
chambers  of  commerce,  European  Business  Organisations  and  Enterprise  Europe  Network 
partners, in order to identify synergies and gaps in existing local SME support activities. This 
would  improve  the  networking  and  facilitate  dialogue  between  the  current  suppliers  of 
business support, leading to greater coherence and accessibility of services to SMEs from all 
Member  States.  In  order  to  achieve  a  comprehensive  overview,  the  commitment  and 
cooperation of Member States and existing support organisations will be vital. 

The mapping of services offered within as well as outside the EU will be updated on a regular 
basis in cooperation with the Member States and EU Delegations. 

During  this  exercise  the  Commission  will  assess  the  effectivenes  of  EU  support  services 
already operational. 

Within  the  current  Competitiveness  and  Innovation  Programme,  the  Commission  will 
immediately: 

32 

33 

34 

As  foreseen  in  the  new  programme  for  business  competitiveness  and  SMEs  proposed  in  the 
Communication of 29 June on the next Multiannual Financial Framework.  
Where  Market  Access  Teams  do  not  exist,  the  role  of  EU  Delegations  will  consist  in  providing,  if 
appropriate,  basic  information  to  complement  the  findings  needed  by  the  service  provider  doing  the 
mapping.  These  Delegations  may  organize,  where  appropriate,  coordination  meetings  between 
businesses and business organizations working on the ground. 
According  to  the  Opportunities  Report,  mapping  is  considered  a  key  task  to  be  taken  up  for  any 
coordination at EU level. 

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- launch an in-depth mapping and analysis of existing support services, both public and 
private,  within  the  EU  and  in  non-member  countries  with  the  aim  to  complete,  by  the 
end of 2012, the work on priority markets; 

-  identify  duplication  and  fragmentation  as  well  as  gaps  and  potential  synergies  in 
existing SME support activities; 

- promote collaboration through Market Access Teams in EU Delegations and Member 
States’ national authorities among existing publicly-funded service providers. 

4.2.2.  Delivering information to the SME’s doorstep  

SMEs  need  easier  access  to  services  and  expertise  and  to  be  able  to  identify  suitable 
programmes already ‘at home’ in the first phase of their internationalisation. That is to say, 
they need a local point of contact in the EU, both physically and virtually. 

The Enterprise Europe Network, with its 600 local partners will give SMEs the opportunity to 
establish  direct  contact  on  the  ground  and  to  receive  professional  support  services  right  at 
their doorstep. 

In order to do so, the Commission will work to improve collaboration between the Enterprise 
Europe  Network  and  all  stakeholders  in  the  Member  States,  thereby  fostering  its 
effectiveness. Operationally, a new governance structure involving hosting organisations and 
relevant stakeholders to a larger degree will be set up to ensure that services are increasingly 
effectively available to SMEs. 

The Commission will launch in early 2012 a content-rich online portal that will integrate and 
streamline  existing  content,  provide  third  country-  and  sector-specific  information  about 
target markets and give a detailed overview of the different support services available. This 
portal will link to online content of the ‘one-stop shops’ in each Member State and will not 
duplicate existing information35. 

Until  2014,  the  costs  for  the  Enterprise  Europe  Network  will  be  met  from  existing  budget 
resources. In parallel, a pilot portal project will be implemented that will include the gradual 
translation of  information into  all  EU  languages. The portal will link  existing portals  at EU 
and  national  level,  including  the  EU  Market  Access  Database  and  Export  Helpdesk,  and 
provide additional information and an overview of different services available. 

The Commission will: 

-  give  a  new  governance  structure  to  the  Enterprise  Europe  Network,  improving  its 
functioning  and  collaboration  with  hosting  organisations  and  stakeholders  in  order  to 
improve the information for SMEs on the ground; 

- launch in 2012 a multilingual online portal that will provide third country- and sector-
specific  information  about  priority  markets  and  a  detailed  overview  of  the  different 
support  services  available.  The  portal  will  be  covered  by  the  existing  Competitiveness 

35 

‘Efficiency gains could be obtained by organising, at EU level, the collection of information on market 
developments and the legal and institutional environment in foreign markets’, see Commission report 
Internationalisation of European SMEs, December 2009, p. 9.  

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and  Innovation  Programme  and,  building  on  existing  databases  such  as  the  Market 
Access  Database,the  Export  Helpdesk  and  the  European  Customs  Information 
Portal,provide  Business  Opportunity  and  Risk  Profiles  comprising  indicators  such  as 
economic  situation,  trade  barriers,  bureaucratic  burden,  customs  procedures,  public 
procurement  regimes  and  other  information  for  exporting  SMEs36  for  example 
providing  information  about  Union  legislation  which  can  be  used  for  concluding 
contracts with parties in third countries37. It will be updated regularly; 

- launch in 2012 an awareness-raising campaign with Member States and stakeholders 
to familiarise SMEs with available support services. 

4.2.3.  Bringing  a  European  dimension  to  the  supply  of  services  for  SMEs  in  priority 

markets 

SMEs may require specific support once they have begun operations in a third country. For 
this  purpose,  the  Commission  will  develop  by  2012  at  the  latest  concrete  recommendations 
for  improving  the  efficiency  and  effectiveness  of  the  entire  support  system  available  to 
European SMEs in non-EU markets.  

This initiative will be built on the results of the mapping exercise and the experience gained 
with pilot projects in business support. 

Opportunities for European companies change from one market to the other and it is on this 
basis that the Commission established Market Access Teams in priority markets38. 

As  the  situation  in  each  priority  market  may  vary  significantly,  a  ‘bottom-up’  approach  is 
required. Under the coordination of the Market Access Teams in the relevant EU Delegations, 
a platform will be arranged to allow business support programme representatives, including, 
for  example,  bilateral  chambers  of  commerce,  Member  States’  export  support  agencies, 
business  organisations  and  partners  of  the  Enterprise  Europe  Network,  to  meet  on  a  regular 
basis.  This  would  enable  them  to  raise  awareness  about  their  own  planned  operations,  to 
streamline by specialising and dividing their labour and to devise possible joint operations. By 
means of improved networking between local organisations, expertise and competences could 
be pooled and a more effective division of labour could be achieved. As resources are scarce, 
the efforts by local organisations could be leveraged through this streamlining of efforts and 
practices in order to create a win-win situation for all participants. 

The main advantage of this approach would be to increase the size and visibility of business 
support  operations  in  non-EU  countries  and  to  provide  the  best  available  skills  and 
competences  at  affordable  costs.  Moreover,  the  networking  of  expertise  would  facilitate 
reaching  out  to  all  economic  sectors  and  also  help  European  clusters  as  well  as  export 
consortia and their SMEs to identify potential partners in non-EU countries. 

36 

37 
38 

Supplementing  e.g.  the  services  offered  by  the  WTO  member  countries’  TBT  Enquiry  Points,  whose 
role  includes  providing  information  on  technical  regulations,  standards,  and  conformity  assessment 
procedures. 
See Commission proposal on a Common European Sales Law, adopted on 11 October 2011.  
A list of the Market Access Teams which are operational or are intended to be set up is in annexe to this 
Communication 

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Based  on  the  results  of  the  mapping,  the  Commission  will,  together  with  Member  States, 
promote,  assess  and  optimise  the  EU  portfolio  of  business  support  for  SMEs  in  non-EU 
countries on the basis of best practice. This should include not only the EU SME Centres and 
Enterprise Europe Network but also other well-established EU business support programmes 
for brokerage events (such as Invest in Med, East Invest, AL-INVEST), cluster collaboration 
initiatives  (such  as  the  European  Cluster  Collaboration  Platform  and  the  European  Club  of 
Cluster Managers), the National Contact Points (NCPs) of the EU Framework Programme for 
Research, and networking and individual training programmes in the EU (such as Gateway to 
Japan/South Korea or the Executive Training Programme). 

These  tools,  with  often  different  legal  bases  and  budget  provisions  and  targeting  different 
markets, will have to be used jointly as part of an integrated concept of support for European 
SMEs,  by  establishing  working  arrangements  such  as  common  benchmarks,  by  achieving 
synergies  and  by  exchanging  their  practices,  not  least  on  the  measurement  of  their 
performance (evaluation). 

Member States are encouraged to consider opening up their services in non-member countries 
to all EU SMEs on a voluntary basis39. Not only would this better use of existing structures 
and  expertise  benefit  overall  efficiency,  it  would  also  provide  established  Member  State 
organisations  with  the  opportunity  to  reach  out  to  a  larger  customer  base.  Moreover,  such 
availability would be highly beneficial for SMEs based in those Member States which do not 
have national business support organizations in all third countries' markets. 

Where  necessary,  top-up  schemes  of  financing  at EU level should be considered, subject to 
the  future  multiannual  financial  framework,  as  a  means  of  facilitating  cross-border 
cooperation  and  access  to  complementary  expertise  among  service  providers,  thereby 
optimising the use of scarce public funds. 

In  order  to  steer  this  entire  process,  take  stock  of  developments,  monitor  progress  and 
evaluate  the  effectiveness  of  the  approach,  a  periodic  evaluation  event  involving  all  major 
stakeholders  should  take  place.  This  could  take  the  form  of  an  annual  forum  where  the 
Commission  invites  stakeholders  to  share  their  experience  and  exchange  views.  Here  all 
participants could identify possible divisions of labour, the need for new activities and other 
experiences to learn from each other. 

The Commission will: 

-  facilitate  cross-border  cooperation  and  access  to  complementary  expertise  among 
service providers, notably through financial incentives that could be covered by the new 
programme  for  business  competitiveness  and  SMEs  within  the  proposed  multiannual 
financial framework 2014-2020;  

- subject existing measures to periodic evaluation, involving all major stakeholders; 

39 

Inspiration could be drawn from Article 20(2)(c) TFEU, which reads: ‘Citizens of the Union shall have 
inter  alia:  …  (c)  the  right  to  enjoy,  in  the  territory  of  a  third  country  in  which  the  Member  State  of 
which they are nationals is not represented, the protection of the diplomatic and consular authorities of 
any Member State on the same conditions as the nationals of that State’.  

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-  together  with  Member  States,  evaluate,  optimise  and  promote  the  EU  portfolio  of 
business support for SMEs in non-member countries on the basis of best practices40. 

4.2.4.  Promoting SME internationalisation through clusters and networks 

SMEs  often  need  to  find  the  right  partners  to  develop  and  produce  globally  competitive 
products  and  services.  They  increasingly  tend  to  grow  and  innovate  not  alone  but  through 
collaboration by entering into strategic business cooperation and networks with international 
partners. In this context, the importance of subcontracting is to be recognized. 

Clusters, business networks and export consortia can play an important role in helping SMEs 
to  develop  such  activities  and  become  more  internationally  oriented.  In  particular,  export 
consortia  play  a  specific  role  in  relation  to  internationalisation,  representing  groups  of 
businesses  working  together  on  an  export  development  project.  For  instance,  recent  studies 
have found that newly created SMEs that develop new products and services within a specific 
niche  are  often  active  from  the  start  in  international  markets  and  their  capacity  to  export  is 
reinforced through their membership of a cluster41. 

SMEs  hosted  in  clusters  and  business  networks  can  benefit  from  contacts,  business 
connections  and  formal  and  informal  knowledge  flowing  within  a  cluster  and  a  business 
network, as well as from customised services provided by cluster and network organisations. 
Such benefits  facilitate, among other things, the development of partnerships abroad so that 
SMEs  have  easier  access  to  global  value  chains,  develop  strategic  alliances  with  research 
organisations in counterpart clusters or networks, expand their commercial activities abroad, 
including public procurement, and obtain appropriate skills and tailored professional advice42. 

In this respect, cluster and network organisations should be recognised in the Member States 
as  important  facilitators  and  therefore  be  integrated  into  business  support  schemes  aimed  at 
fostering  SME  internationalisation43.  At  the  same  time,  transnational  cooperation  between 
cluster and network organisations is an important challenge today and should be addressed at 
all  levels44,  supporting  them  also  through  cross-border  lending  as  proposed  by  the 

40 

41 

42 

43 

44 

business 

cooperation,  VDI/VDE/IT, 

This  will  include  not  only  the  EU  SME  Centres  and  Enterprise  Europe  Network  but  also  other  well-
established EU business support programmes for brokerage events, cluster collaboration initiatives, the 
Framework  Programme’s  national  contact  points  (NCPs),  and  networking  and  individual  training 
programmes in the EU. 
See, for example, OSEO/UBIFRANCE study (2010) on the ‘Link Innovation-Exports’ 
http://www.oseo.fr/storage/newsletters/vendredi_28_mai_20102/gauche/actualites/etude_oseo_ubifranc
e. 
European  Clusters  Go  International:  Networks  and  clusters  as  instruments  for  the  initiation  of 
international 
http://www.vdivde-it.de/news-
en/publications/best-practice/european-clusters-go-international-2013-networks-and-clusters-as-
instruments-for-the-initiation-of-international-business-cooperation. 
To  this  end,  at  EU  level,  a  specific  call  for  proposals  was  launched  under  the  Competitiveness  and 
Innovation  Programme  in  March  2011  to  stimulate  international  cooperation  through  regional  and 
national cluster programmes. See 
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/itemlongdetail.cfm?item_id=4968. 
In  this  respect,  the  European  Cluster  Cooperation  Platform  established  under  the  European  Cluster 
Excellence Initiative will be instrumental in promoting better cluster cooperation internationally for the 
benefit of SMEs. As first steps, Memoranda of Understanding have been signed with partners in Japan, 
information  see  http://www.cluster-
India  and  Brazil  and  more  are  planned.  For  more 
excellence.eu/collaboration.  Furthermore,  transnational  cooperation  between  clusters  is  addressed  by 
the 'Regions of Knowledge' action in the Seventh EU Framework Programme for Research. The action 

2011, 

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Commission  in  the  Communication  ‘A  budget  for  Europe  2020’45.  Cooperation  between 
cluster  organisations  and  the  Enterprise  Europe  Network  and  other  interested  EU  business 
organisations should also be strengthened to provide better innovation services and access to 
international markets for SMEs. 

In the longer term, the Commission will develop a broad EU initiative aimed at making more 
strategic use of transnational cluster cooperation on markets outside Europe in order to build 
common long-term strategies with international partners across EU Member States. 

This cluster internationalisation initiative would contribute to promoting globally competitive 
clusters  in  Europe,  especially  in  emerging  industries  where  cluster  cooperation  has  the 
potential  to  create  new  competitive  advantages  for  Europe.  This  programme  may  include 
action to identify strategic interests for further cluster cooperation across the EU.  

The Commission will: 

-  encourage  and  finance  the  establishment  of  training  programmes  for  entrepreneurs, 
SME  managers,  and  managers  of  clusters,  business  networks  and  export  consortia  in 
order to enable them to steer internationalisation operations; 

-  promote  the  creation  of  export  consortia  between  SMEs  established  in  different 
Member  States  through  a  range  of  measures  including  information  campaigns  and 
financial incentives, encouraging synergies. 

- support cross-border cooperation between cluster/networks through lending backed by 
EU guarantees.  

4.2.5.  Rationalising new activities in priority markets 

4.2.5.1.  Guiding principles  

In order to ensure full use of available resources and avoid overlaps, the Commission strongly 
reaffirms the following guiding principles.  

Complementarity and additionality. Action taken at EU level should be complementary to and 
not duplicate business support activities that are already carried out by Member States and/or 
private organisations. In line with the principle of subsidiarity and an appropriate division of 
labour, EU action should serve to fill gaps or reinforce existing support services where needs 
are  not  met  —  or  are  not  sufficiently  met  —  by  other  public  or  private  organisations.  This 
could be the case, for example, where not all priority markets (for instance newly emerging 

activities 

aims  to  strengthen  the  research  potential  of  European  regions,  in  particular  by  encouraging  and 
supporting  the  development,  across  Europe,  of  regional  ‘research-driven  clusters’,  associating 
universities, research centers, enterprises and regional authorities. Support is available in particular for 
countries. 
the  development  of 
internationalisation 
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/capacities/regions-knowledge_en.html 
Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European 
Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of Regions, A budget for Europe 2020 — Part II 
Policy fiches, COM(2011) 500, 29 June 2011. The Commission has proposed that for the period 2014-
2020 EU loan guarantee facilities should focus not only on the national dimension but also on cross-
border lending or multi-country lending.  

strategies  with 

third 

and 

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45 

EN 

 
                                                                                                                                                         
markets) and not all issues of access are covered by existing service providers, e.g. standards 
and regulations and other non-tariff-barriers to doing business abroad. 

Sustainability.  EU-level  support  for  business  support  services  should  be  based  on 
demonstrated  demand  in  the  market.  It  may  be  financed  in  the  short  term  by  public  funds 
subject to the Financial Regulation, but the aim should be for services to be self-financed to as 
large  an  extent  as  feasible  in  the  longer  term  in  order  to  mitigate  the  risk  of  unwarranted 
squeezing out of the market of private service providers. 

Efficiency  in  the  use  of  public  funds.  In  accordance  with  the  principle  of  sound  financial 
management,  public  funds  should  be  used  in  the  best  relationship  between  resources 
employed  and  results  achieved.  For  that  purpose,  specific,  measurable,  achievable,  relevant 
and timed (SMART) objectives should be set for each activity and an appropriate evaluation 
planned. The efficient use of public funds may mean that instead of setting up a new physical 
structure it may be smarter to encourage existing service providers in non-EU markets, such 
as national or European chambers of commerce or local EU Delegations and Market Access 
Teams, to broaden the scope of their activities or pool their resources for a better service. 

The guiding principles will be key elements of this strategy and will govern any EU-level 
initiative in this field both before and after 2014: 

The  Commission  commits  itself  to  following  these  guiding  principles  for  the  selection, 
planning and implementation of support initiatives at EU level. 

Member  States  are  encouraged  to  follow,  wherever  applicable,  similar  principles  and 
priorities in their external business support. 

4.2.5.2.  Geographical priorities 

For  new  action  taken  outside  the  EU,  the  Commission  will  apply  the  following  criteria  to 
establish geographical priorities, identify priority countries and launch a comprehensive set of 
specific measures.  

This will boost the effectiveness of initiatives, by focusing on the actual needs of SMEs. Over 
time,  the  list  of  priority  countries  will  naturally  have  to  be  adjusted.  Priorities  should  be 
identified based on the following factors in particular: 

Economic  potential  and  size  of  the  market.  Priority  markets  should  include  the  EU’s  major 
trade and investment partners as well as markets with prospects for strong economic growth. 
Markets  that  have  the  potential  to  produce  valuable  business  partners  due  to  increasing 
purchasing  power  and  investment  opportunities  must  be  monitored  to  gauge  the  need  for 
future action. 

Extent of difficulty faced by SMEs in accessing the market. Some markets are more difficult 
than  others  to  access  for  SMEs,  partly  due  to  tariff  protection,  but  more  often  due  to 
differences  in  the  regulatory  environment  that  can  have  the  effect  of  non-tariff  barriers  to 
trade and investment. Difficulty in access to finance can also constitute an obstacle for SMEs 
that varies from country to country. Efforts should be directed at removing these barriers as 
far as possible and at assisting SMEs to overcome them. 

Gaps in existing business support. The mapping of local services currently provided by public 
or private organisations will help to identify possible gaps in the local support infrastructure 

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and how best to fill them. Thematic areas not sufficiently covered could include the need for 
expertise  on  specific 
technology 
commercialisation,  protection  of  intellectual  property  rights,  public  procurement  and 
tendering, and customs regulations. Priorities may need to be established. 

issues  such  as  standards,  conformity  assessment, 

The EU will identify priority markets for SMEs on the basis of the above criteria. These 
may  include  the  EU’s  major  current  trading  and  investment  partners  (US,  China, 
Russia,  Japan),  the  enlargement  countries  and  the  European  Neighbourhood  Policy 
partners  in  the  East  and  the  South  as  well  as  markets  generating  strong  economic 
growth (emerging markets in Asia, Africa and Latin America). 

4.2.6.  Mainstreaming  SME  internationalisation  into  other  EU  policies  and  creating  a 

favourable environment for SME international activities 

There remains untapped potential to better employ a vast range of existing and emerging EU 
policies at the service of SMEs that are striving to grow internationally and to enter foreign 
markets. 

All  enlargement  countries  are  encouraged  to  embrace  the  objectives  of  the  Europe  2020 
strategy,  including  SME  related  activities.  Strengthening the rule of law is a key priority of 
the enlargement policy, which will help to reinforce the confidence of EU SMEs to invest in 
these  markets.  Creating  a  business  friendly  operating  envrionnement  is  also  an  important 
pillar of our relations with the Eastern Partnership countries. 

The historic changes under way in the Southern Mediterranean/North African region make a 
strong case for EU support for the socio-economic transformation in that region and link up 
with  the  EU  Neighbourhood  Policy.  This  could  include  developing  and  strengthening 
schemes  for  business-to-business  cooperation  between  the  EU  and  these  countries46.  Given 
their vast potential for economic development and in line with the Joint Africa-EU Strategy, 
African countries in general should be invited to benefit from building on a strong partnership 
with EU SMEs. 

In  the  context  of  trade  defence  investigations,  the  special  situation  of  SMEs  -  as  importers, 
users,  complainants  or  exporters  -  will  be  addressed  and  information  on  the  functioning  of 
trade defence instruments will be made more accessible for SMEs. 

Autonomous  tariff  suspensions  and  quotas  are  relevant  for  firms  producing  in  the  Union. 
Special attention is paid to the interest of SMEs. The impact of this tool will be assessed as 
part of an evaluation of the economic impact to be launched in 2012.  

The EU will: 

-  support  the  creation  of  a  business-friendly  operating  environment  in  enlargement, 
neighbouring  and  developing  countries  and  in  particular  for  SMEs;  such  improved 

46 

For example, through cluster cooperation: cluster partnerships offer concrete possibilities for enhanced 
business cooperation that could be developed and customised to the particular needs of enterprises in 
sectors such as tourism and creative industries, which have significant economic potential in Southern 
Mediterranean  countries.  Beyond  this  specific  case,  the  Commission  is  also  considering  supporting 
exchanges between entrepreneurs based in different countries, within and outside the European Union. 

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environment will be beneficial for all SMEs, including those wishing to work in a certain 
specific market;  

-  step  up  its  efforts  to  remove  remaining  tariff  and  non-tariff  barriers  in  non-EU 
countries; 

- create in the trade and economic sections of all relevant EU Delegations contact points 
for SMEs as part of the work of Market Access Teams. 

-  pursue  in  its  regulatory  dialogues  with  partner  governments  the  objective  of  making 
markets more open and friendly to small businesses; 

- make the interests of small businesses in access to international procurement markets a 
priority 
in  the  WTO  plurilateral  government  procurement  agreement  (GPA) 
negotiations; 

-improve  the  communication  to  SMEs  of  the  economic  benefits  to  be  gained  from 
trading internationally and created by trade policy measures, particularly bilateral free 
trade agreements; 

-establish  the  SME  Finance  Forum  on  Africa,  an  important  first  step  in  our  new 
approach to building bridges between European and African businesses by means of a 
strengthened and permanent dialogue; 

- raise SME awareness of possible autonomous tariff suspensions and quotas and assess 
their impact on SMEs as part of an evaluation to be launched in 2012. 

5. 

CONCLUSION 

In the current economic context it becomes urgent to look for new sources of growth. Third 
country  markets,  which  are  in  expansion,  can  provide  an  invaluable  opportunity  for  EU 
SMEs. The Commission deems that the approach outlined above can provide SMEs with the 
necessary  tools  to  successfully  engage  in  business  outside  the  EU.  This  is  based  on  the 
premise  that  cooperation  between  the  EU  and  Member  States,  among  Member  States,  and 
between the public and the private sector will bring clear benefits to EU SMEs. 

This new EU strategy sets out six fields of action: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Mapping  the  existing  supply  of  support  services  to  allow  a  more  rational  and 
coherent approach in the future; 

Creating  a  single  virtual  gateway  to  information  for  SMEs  wishing  to  do  business 
beyond the EU borders.; 

Making support schemes at EU level more consistent to raise their impact; 

Promoting clusters and networks for SME internationalisation; 

Orchestrating pan-European collaboration in priority markets to make the most of the 
public funds spent; 

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• 

Leveraging  existing  EU  external  policies  to  accelerate  the  international  growth  of 
European SMEs. 

Future  efforts  should  focus  on  how  existing  service  providers  can  collaborate  more 
effectively, often across national boundaries, and how incentives can be provided to bring this 
about.  Comprehensive  ‘mapping’  of  the  European  supply  of  support  services  will  lay  the 
foundation for this process. All EU institutions and relevant SME stakeholders, in partnership, 
will be involved in the implementation of this strategy and should adhere to the priorities and 
guiding principles set out in this Communication when considering new activities in support 
of SME internationalisation, in both the short and the longer term.  

Member  States  are  encouraged  to  adopt  a  similar  approach  and  work  in  close  cooperation 
with  the  Commission  in  strengthening  the  support  environment  for  European  SMEs’ 
international growth. 

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Based on the current experience with the process of identifying key market access barriers in 
third  countries  (as  requested  by  the  Council  of  the  European  Union  in  its  conclusions  of 
December  2008),  Market  Access  Teams  are  operational  or  are  intended  to  be  set  up  in  the 
following countries: 

Annex  

- Algeria 

- Argentina 

- Brazil 

- Canada 

- Chile 

- China 

- Colombia 

- Egypt 

- Hong Kong 

- India 

- Indonesia 

- Israel 

- Japan 

- Kazakhstan 

- Malaysia 

- Mexico 

- Morocco 

- New Zealand 

- Nigeria 

- Norway 

- Peru 

- Philippines 

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- Russia 

- Singapore 

- South Africa 

- South Korea 

- Switzerland 

- Taiwan 

- Thailand 

- Tunisia 

- Turkey 

- Ukraine 

- United States of America 

- Vietnam 

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