Background and a brief description of the activity:

A large number of the diaspora originating from Kosovo is concentrated in the most developed countries of the globe. Still, it maintains ties with the homeland in various cases, from family ties to economic engagement. Today, the diaspora originating from Kosovo represents an extraordinary financial, economic, and socio-political potential and knowledge that can be used in many ways to benefit Kosovo. The non-governmental organization GERMIN is implementing the component “Using the knowledge and financial capital of the diaspora for the economic development of the municipalities of Kosovo” within the project “Municipal Action for Reintegration and Diaspora” – MARDI project, which is financed by the Caritas Switzerland in Kosovo. The overall objective of this project is to use the knowledge and financial capital of the diaspora to promote changes and economic development in the municipalities of Kosovo. The project results include promoting Kosovar businesses abroad with a particular focus on the diaspora community, generating investments from the diaspora through competitive attractive investment projects, and facilitating dialogue between the diaspora community and Kosovo institutions.

In order to promote Kosovar businesses abroad, with a special focus on the diaspora community, in 2022, GERMIN has collaborated with the Albanian Businesses Network in Austria, which organizes the Fair of Albanian Businesses in Austria. This fair offers the opportunity to present successful Albanian businesses operating in Austria from all fields, including construction, architecture, gastronomy, tourism, IT, media, aesthetics and motoring. Participating in the fair means presenting companies in front of a large number of visitors, while the location of the fair is located in one of the most frequented areas of the city. GERMIN has supported the participation of 15 Kosovar businesses to participate in this fair through the development of business-to-business (B2B) meetings, where a clear success has been demonstrated, and one of the participating businesses has concluded an export agreement in Austria. GERMIN’s focus for this edition is to significantly expand the group of participants, supporting the participation of 20 businesses in order to promote the growth of the export of Kosovar companies.

Purpose of the call:

To promote connections, expansion, and partnership of businesses from Kosovo in the diaspora, GERMIN calls on all local companies from the Food Processing Industry, the Beverage Manufacturing Industry, the Textile and Clothing Manufacturing Industry, the Wood Processing Sector, the Information Technology and Communication Sector, and the Energy Sector express interest in participating in the business-to-business (B2B) activity, which will be held in Vienna, Austria organized by the Network of Albanian Businesses in Austria. The activity will be held on October 21, 2023, and GERMIN will support the participation of companies from Kosovo by covering the costs of accommodation and coordinating the participation of companies in this activity.

The B2B activity, which will be held at the Albanian Business Fair in Austria, represents an opportunity for businesses from Kosovo to create new contacts, and present their products/services at one of the largest fairs, highlighting some strategic advantages and tangible results that can be achieved through participation:

• Promotion of products or services to a large number of Albanian businesses in the diaspora, as well as foreign businesses;
• Opportunities for networking with other businesses from Kosovo but also with those in the diaspora;
• The opportunity to explore new markets;
• Exchange of knowledge and acquisition of new skills;
• Utilization of this acquired knowledge for business expansion beyond Kosovo.

Criteria to be fulfilled by the company:

• The business must be legally registered and operate in Kosovo;
• The business must demonstrate potential for exporting products or services;
• Not to have unpaid tax obligations;
• The business’s leader, owner, or management must not have been accused or convicted of a criminal offense in the last three years.

Application and required documents:

• Business certificate;
• A comprehensive company profile describing the nature of the business, products and services offered, licenses or certifications (if any);
• Evidence from the Tax Administration proving that the business has no unpaid tax obligations;
• Evidence that the leader, owner or management of the business has no criminal record.

All applications should be submitted to [email protected] with the subject: B2B in Vienna_2023. The last date for submission of applications is September 4, 2023.

For any questions or concerns, please contact us at [email protected].