§ Mr. RichardsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures are being taken to help small businesses in Wales develop closer ties with Europe.
§ Sir Wyn RobertsA wide range of measures are available. Among the more significant are:
Overseas trade services
The Welsh Office is part of a United Kingdom-wide network established to encourage businesses to take advantage of opportunities abroad. Advice is given to businesses on both how to enter new export markets and provide overseas trade services. Assistance is available particularly for small and medium enterprises (SM Es) which are entering overseas markets for the first time.
The Welsh Office also promotes awareness of the availability of assistance for exporting at trade fairs and through sales missions to overseas markets. Over the last five years missions have visited Spain, Portugal, France, the Netherlands and Italy. Next year missions are planned to Germany, Switzerland and Belgium.
604WEC relay centre network
A Welsh centre is planned for January 1993 as part of a network being established throughout the European Community, to encourage SMEs to participate in and exploit the results of the Community's research and development programmes.
The development agencies
The Welsh Development Agency (WDA) participates in various initiatives designed to help Welsh companies seek new business opportunities in Europe. These initiatives include the Wales European centre, Eurolink, Europartenariat, Wales Euro Info centres and Fit for Europe reviews.
The Development Board for Rural Wales (DBRW) provides core funding for mid-Wales Export Association Ltd based at Welshpool. All of the board's export activities are channelled through this specialist organisation which in turn provides a full range of export advice and services to businesses in rural mid-Wales. In recent years the Export Association has given particular emphasis to the opportunities that might be presented to companies in mid-Wales through the advent of the single European market.
Links with the Four Motors
Links have been established between Wales and four of the most economically advanced regions of Europe—Baden-Wurttemberg, Lombardy, Catalonia and Rhone-Alpes, known together as the Four Motors. Through these links SMEs are offered various opportunities in these regions including technology transfer, joint ventures and for trade.
Local enterprise agencies
With the advent of the single European market several of Wales's enterprise agencies, including those which have received core-funding from the WDA, have developed a service for businesses wishing to obtain adsvice and counselling about Europe.
Urban programme
Urbane programme support has been made available for projects which encourage the development of links between Welsh businesses and Europe.