The European Union’s Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Programme (COSME) has welcomed SMEs and entrepreneurs from Kosovo. They can now participate under the same conditions as their counterparts from EU member states and other associated countries.
“Today’s agreement is a milestone for SMEs and entrepreneurs in Kosovo,” said Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska, responsible for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs.
“It opens doors for cooperation with businesses across the EU and will help create a better business environment.”
COSME, the first EU programme that Kosovo has joined, will support projects on a wide range of topics that include clusters, SME internationalisation, building entrepreneurship skills, tourism, reducing the administrative burden for companies and protection of intellectual property rights. It will also help SMEs identify funding sources.
Kosovo is the 11th partner outside the EU to join and contribute to the programme. The list includes Iceland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova, Turkey, Albania, Serbia, Armenia and Ukraine.
