EU4Belarus: Reinforcing Resilience and Democratisation

Private sector was the key driver of protests following unfair presidential election in Belarus in August 2020 and faced harsh government response aftermath. The political crisis affected many Belarusian private companies in different sectors as well as self-employed. Among factors negatively affecting domestic business development were the risks of inspections, closures, arrests; unwillingness to pay taxes to the regime; falling demand; lack of opportunities for growth; the psychological state of employees; deteriorating access to finance, credit and investment. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, private sector experienced further pressure to relocate from Belarus because of the challenges related to new economic sanctions towards Belarus. 

The goal of the project is for Businesses leaving Belarus for political or economic reasons and establishing themselves in new countries (PL, LT, LV, EE) to be quickly integrated in the new economies as they are supported with advisory services, knowledge sharing, access to financing, assistance with expansion to new markets, networking opportunities with potential clients, suppliers, and service providers. Their interests will be represented and advocated with local authorities. To achieve this impact ABBA and partners will work on 4 strategic development goals: 

1. Services to members – legal and business consultations, seminars, webinars, business forums, education programs, study visits, networking events, assistance with getting access to finance.
2. Advocacy and Government Relations – work with local governments, business associations, banks and other organizations that have influence over the business environment for Belarusian businesses.
3. Public Awareness and Marketing – create positive ABBA image and have high brand recognition amongst potential members and partners.
4. Organization Sustainability – work on member recruitment, so membership fees eventually become the main source of income for the organization.

CASE will participate in the project by:

• Creating and presenting a report on relevant EU policies, organising meetings with European stakeholders to discuss key issues of Belarusian businesses in the EU
• Quantitative and qualitative analyses of Belarusian businesses abroad
• Research on non-conventional financing options for Belarusian businesses abroad
• Formulating and developing three different financial solutions/instruments that can potentially be implemented in the EU countries.

Contracting authority: European Commission 

Project leader: Fundation Association of Belarusian Business Abroad (ABBA) 

Project partners: Polish Chamber of Commerce (KIG), Lithuanian Business Confederation (LBC), Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE).