INFORMEST SERVICE AND DOCUMENTATION CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION GORIZIA - ITALY

1. INFORMEST SERVICE AND DOCUMENTATION CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION GORIZIA - ITALY

2. MISSION OF INFORMEST INFORMEST is a Service and Documentation Centre for International Economic Co-operation, established by the Italian Act No. 19/91 and legally constituted by the Regions Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto and the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE). It has a geographical specialisation in Candidate Countries, Balkan Countries, NIS, China, Mongolia, North Korea and Vietnam and it aims at developing economic co-operation between Italian enterprises and economic operators and their counterparts in the Eastern Countries through the provision of a wide range of specialised and integrated services, such as: assistance and consulting, development projects, information services.

3. PARTNERSHIP OF INFORMEST INFORMEST was established by the Italian Act No. 19/91 containing provisions for the development of the economic activities and international cooperation of the region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the province of Belluno and neighbouring areas. The Centre was legally constituted in December 1992 by the Regions Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto and the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE) as founding partners. Other private and public shareholders are the Region Trentino-Alto Adige, the Autonomous Province of Trento, the Union of Italian Chambers of Commerce and other regional and local Chambers.

4. GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE (1) INFORMEST is deeply rooted in the economic system of the three regions of north-eastern Italy Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige, internationally known as a model for SME development. Institutions and companies from all over Italy are more and more requesting its services. Technical assistance to co-operation projects of third parties and direct co-operation management are also performed all over Italy.

5. GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE (2) • INFORMEST PARTNER NETWORK • (over 70 in 27 Countries) • EMArket experts for partner research, marketing research, site and industrial sheds research, offices Legal-fiscal offices; joint-venture constitution and fiscal assistance Consultants for legal-fiscal, accounting assistance Promotion and Developement local agencies, Euro Info-Centres in EU and in Eastern Europe Local Ministeries, Institutions, Chambers of Commerce.

6. INFORMEST NETWORK • Headquarters: Gorizia (FVG) • Branch Offices: Padova and Treviso (Veneto) • Representative Office: Brussels (BE) • Network of Foreign Consultants: it covers 30 Countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Balkans, Newly Independent States and Asia. It consists of private professionals and/or private/public operators working in various fields of the economy and the administration of their countries, linked to international matters; they provide assistance for the implementation of co-operation projects on site, supplying companies and institutions with administrative, fiscal, legal and operative support.

7. SPECIALISED AND INTEGRATED SERVICES • Information on: relevant legislation in the countries of interest, financial institutions and instruments promoting investment and trade in these countries, market and investment opportunities; • Awareness-raising activities on EU matters and on issues related to specific projects carried out by Informest, through the publication of books, papers, CD-Roms; • Consulting: assistance in carrying out investment and market operations; • Training aimed at: improving managerial skills, promoting entrepreneurship, strengthening specialist skills of SME counsellors and trainers, developing capacities of public officials; • Technical Assistance in various areas; • Organisation of meetings, seminars, conferences, study tours.

8. INFORMEST AREAS • A. Information Services • B. Development Projects • C. Assistance & Consulting • D. Euro Info Centre

9. A. INFORMATION SERVICES AREA • It provides innovative high-tech services and up-dated and reliable information aimed at promoting and internationalising Italian SMEs: • on-line Business Guides on 24 Central and Eastern European countries, NIS and Asian countries, updated on a twice-yearly basis, patented and certified under UNI EN ISO 9001; • the first Internet specialised portal (www.informest.it)for the promotion of trade and internationalisation of Italian companies in Eastern countries; • Legislative Database, containing the most important laws regulating foreign investment, company operations, fiscal mat-ters, customs, etc. in the countries of competence; • innovativetelematic services for private and public clients: e.g. software for the self-evaluation of companies’ quality, web-site on sub-contracting, telematic stock-exchange, virtual shops for e-commerce activities, design and management of web-sites.

10. B. DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS AREA • Itdesigns, organises and manages pilot projects and horizontal initiatives for the promotion of trans-national industrial and economic co-operation and training actions, both for national and foreign beneficiaries. • Such projects are financed by national aid programmes or by the European Commission in the framework of various programmes (Phare, Tacis, Cards, Interreg, etc.). • In October 2001, a new Service Unit was created, aimed at supporting the participation of INFORMEST in international tenders related to technical assistance and training projects in the fields and in the countries of its competence.

11. C. ASSISTANCE & CONSULTING AREA • It provides companies with services related to the strategic eva-luation and operational support to international trade and indu-strial co-operation, and it assists its clients in accessing national and European financing tools for SME internationalisation. • Themain services provided by the Assistance and Consulting Area include: (i) Business Diagnosis, i.e. assessment of the company needs; (ii) Identification of potential financing sources, both national and European; (iii) Assistance in the preparation of the requests for financial contributions and throughout the whole process, until the final financial reporting; (iv) Support in the design and implementationof invest-ment operations; (v) Partner Search; (vi) Organisation of fact-finding missions in the foreign countries of interest; (vii) Legal, fiscal and commercial advice; (viii) Market analyses; (ix) Business planning; (x) Feasibility studies.

12. D. EURO INFO CENTRE AREA • The EURO INFO CENTRE IT388Friuli Venezia Giulia is part of the European network of Euro Info Centres (EIC), which is one of the most qualified tools of support to SMEs, providing infor-mation, consulting and assistance services on EU policies and programmes. The network, active from 1998, includes approx. 340 centres in more than 35 EU, PHARE and MEDA Countries. • The EIC IT388 FVG works in strict co-operation with Udine and Pordenone Chambers of Commerce, which host two Relay Centres. • It promotes andimplements awareness-raising and training initiati-ves on EU priority issues, it provides Candidate Countries adminis-trations with TA on structural funds, it plans and manages coope-ration projects co-financed by EU programmes (VI FP, Tacis, etc.). • It coordinates the implementation of the projects LOOK-EAST NET and ACCESS.

13. INFORMEST • EURO INFO CENTRE IT388 FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA • Via Cadorna 36, 34170 GORIZIA (Italy) • Tel.: 0039 0481 597411 • Fax: 0039 0481 537204 • E-mail: eicit388@informest.it • Sito web: http://eic.informest.com