Lisbon, Feb. 10, 2021 (Lusa) - The new digital platform 'Access2Markets', presented on Wednesday by the European Commission's Directorate General for Trade, aims to support the internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises and to provide information on European Union (EU) trade agreements.

The objectives of the online tool, launched in October 2020 by the European Commission, are to "support companies in their internationalisation efforts to inform them about trade agreements and support their implementation," said project leader Nina Baumeister, who was speaking at a webinar on EU trade policy.

She underlined that the platform is mainly aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), "so that they can bet on internationalisation [...] in a simpler way".

Therefore, the European Commission's Directorate General for Trade has been working together with business associations and chambers of commerce, as these will be "catalysts" that will encourage greater use by SMEs, she added.

The platform also aims to explain the benefits of the EU bloc's trade agreements and to facilitate access to external markets by providing information on over 120 export markets.

Access2Markets' was created from two previous platforms, the Market Access Database and the Trade Helpdesk, but now focuses on information on rules of origin and imports from third countries into the EU, as well as on intra-EU trade.

According to Nina Baumeister, the new platform uses "easy-to-understand language, for lay people and non-specialists", so that "everyone in Europe can benefit from trade agreements with third countries".

The webinar, organised under the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU, was attended by the Secretary of State for Trade, Services and Consumer Protection, João Torres, the Secretary of State for Internationalisation, Eurico Brilhante Dias and the High Representative for the Implementation of Trade Policy of the European Commission, Denis Redonnet.

JAYG/AYLS // AYLS

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