Business in Europe, EU – Baltic States, Good for Business, Legislation, Markets and Companies

Jointly organised by the European Commission, the Cypriot EU Presidency and the Committee of the Regions, the Awards took place in Cyprus. 402 projects competed in this year’s national competitions for a chance to enter the awards, while 57 national winners were subsequently entered in the European level of competition. Competing countries included all 27 EU Member States, one acceding country, Croatia, as well as 2 associate countries in the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP): Serbia and Turkey. For more information on the winning projects, please see MEMO/12/870.

The Vice-President of the European Commission, Antonio Tajani, responsible for industry and entrepreneurship said: "The remarkable work of this year’s entries proved just how crucial a time it is for Promoting Entrepreneurship across Europe. Entrepreneurship can be truly transformational for individuals and communities. It is important to recognise the value of organisations like the Outset project which help to create a platform for new start-ups. In the current economic climate we need more such initiatives. Therefore I am working on an action plan on entrepreneurship which will propose concrete actions to encourage more Europeans to become their own boss."

Over 400 projects competed in this year's national competitions for a chance to enter the European Enterprise Promotion Awards. Countries were allowed to nominate a maximum of two entries (in different categories) to the European competition in different categories, so the 57 national winners represent the very best national initiatives to promote enterprise, inspire entrepreneurs and showcase entrepreneurship policies in their countries.