Dear readers,

As we are well aware, the Czech Republic is a country with an open export economy and export support is, therefore, one of the priorities of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT). Until 2019, exports had been gradually rising for almost ten years in a row, but the recent crisis, associated with the coronavirus pandemic, interrupted this period of growth.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, export support was aimed at solving the immediate problems of exporters. Afterwards, the main wave of Governmental support focused on quick restart and restoration of business trade relations in the selected territories. In order to preserve the production of the Czech Republic and maintain its position as an export-oriented country, a number of measures were taken, including free provision of selected CzechTrade services , preferential treatment and adjustment of Czech Export Bank (ČEB) and Export Guarantee and Insurance Corporation Products (EGAP), provision of interest-free loans by the National Development Bank, and support for new manufacturers of medical materials and protective equipment from the CzechInvest agency and MIT even during their export.

The MIT’s task was and still is to help exporters in finding new business opportunities and maintaining their position in the existing markets. That is why MIT agencies have been seeking business opportunities abroad for a long time. Subsequently, they compare them with the competencies of Czech companies and their innovation potential. Based on these facts, 43 territorial business strategies have been developed. These strategies have helped to improve the state assistance coordination, not only in the area of export support policies but also in the area of innovation and business development.

Czech Official Participation (ČOÚ) in exhibitions and fairs abroad is one of the significant tools for accomplishing business opportunities. Their program, available on the MIT website, is in accordance with the Export Strategy of the Czech Republic. The program is focused on the export of goods and services with high added value and facilitates the expansion of Czech companies (mainly small and medium-sized ones) into foreign markets. Approximately 28 ČOÚs are implemented annually, having around 5,000 business  negotiations completed and preliminary contracts in progress, almost reaching 3-5 billion CZK. We have the same plans for the future.

I hope that the unpredictable coronavirus pandemic will enable exhibitions, fairs and meetings at them to run as smoothly as possible in the future. I wish their organizers much strength and success, and to the exhibitors and visitors, I wish interesting and inspiring contacts and meetings.