From left to right: director of international projects and entrepreneurship at the Terrassa Chamber of Commerce, Anna Pajarón, head of projects at Eurochambres, Greta Bilanzola, head of business development at the Girona Chamber of Commerce, Jeanine López, director of the Delegation, Pilar Ruiz Huélamo, head of the European projects department at the Santiago de Compostela Chamber of Commerce, Belén Mendoza, and deputy director of the Delegation, Keka Torres de Paz
Brussels, 27/11/2023.- The Delegation to the European Union held the training seminar on "Start your journey: discover the business world with Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs" with the participation as speakers of Jeanine López, head of business development of the Chamber of Girona, Belén Mendoza, responsible for the European projects department of the Chamber of Santiago de Compostela and Anna Pajarón, director of international projects and entrepreneurship of the Chamber of Terrassa.
99 % of the European business fabric is made up of SMEs (around 23 million companies), employing more than 100 million workers across Europe. The Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) programme is a European mobility programme that helps entrepreneurs develop skills and skills needed to start or run a small business in Europe. New entrepreneurs bring together and exchange knowledge and business ideas with an experienced entrepreneur, with whom they collaborate over a period of 1 to 6 months abroad. The stay is partly funded by the European Commission.
In 2023, more than 11.000 exchanges took place, compared to 53 that took place in its launch year, 2009.
It is important to note that we are talking about professional internships, where in many new entrepreneurs have more than 15 years of experience working as an employee, Jeanine López, head of business development of the Chamber of Girona.
The real importance of the Programme lies in its ability to create prosperous businesses from an idea through peer-to-peer collaboration and learning”: the new entrepreneur learns from the successes, but also from the mistakes, from the mentoring company, while the host entrepreneurs know new opportunities in foreign markets and potential long-term business relationships. Belén Mendoza, head of the European projects department of the Chamber of Santiago de Compostela.
The programme is managed through consortia (whose members are called intermediate organisations) that are responsible for the organisation of the stays. And this is where the Chambers of Commerce enter, as one of the most suitable entities to manage this program due to its proximity to the business fabric.
The consortium partners have to be consistent with the objectives of the programme, if 75 % of the planned exchanges are not reached, there will be an economic penalty. This is a measure that invites realism. Anna Pajarón, director of international projects and entrepreneurship of the Chamber of Terrassa.
The main impacts on the part of new entrepreneurs are:
- 58% of NEs say that EYE contributed significantly to the success of their initial company.
- 36,5% of “aspiring” entrepreneurs said they had created their own business after the exchange.
- Nearly 50% of entrepreneurs benefited substantially from looking for suppliers, buyers or partners of a short-term joint venture.
- 15% of entrepreneurs consider entrepreneurship as a solution to unemployment.
Also, on the part of the host employers:
- 60% of host entrepreneurs said they had obtained “new ideas/techniques” for their businesses.
- 53% of host entrepreneurs have developed new products or services since the exchange took place.
- 65% of host entrepreneurs extended their operations to other markets, with 24 % operating in the NE country since the exchange.
In short, the seminar helped to reinforce the strategic value of the EYE Programme for the European business fabric as a testimony of collaboration and continuous commitment of chambers of commerce in the promotion of entrepreneurship.
The capillarity of the cameral system is essential for the effective dissemination of information, especially that related to EU programmes such as Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs. This programme strengthens ties between entrepreneurs from different countries, and also contributes to the growth and prosperity of our companies at European level. Pilar Ruiz Huélamo, Director of the Delegation to the European Union.
The hearing included the participation of Eurochambers, coordinator of activities at European level through its Programme Support Office, and the Chambers of Commerce of Alicante, Alcoy, Badajoz, Cáceres, Campo de Gibraltar, Ceuta, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Rioja, Sabadell and Santiago de Compostela and the Superior Council of Chambers of the Valencian Community.