The project aims to promote intra-regional and international trade in Central Asia (CA) by enhancing the transparency of cross-border requirements, removing regulatory and procedural barriers, strengthening business capability to comply with trade formalities and standards, as well as by improving cross-border e-commerce. The project is structured according to four expected results:
1. Key regulatory and procedural obstacles to international trade are addressed; 2. SMEs capacities to comply with cross-border requirements (including notably quality standards, technical regulations, relevant preferential trading schemes/GSP+) are improved; 3. Improved Central Asia countries readiness, in particular women-led companies, for conducting cross-border e-commerce; 4. Increased opportunities for participation of women-led enterprises in international trade.

The project aims to support Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in maximizing the transit potential of their Dry Ports, Caspian and Black Sea ports, by digitally connecting them, facilitating sustainable trade along the route, and by promoting the utilization of green energy in the port’s operations. Its overarching goal is to boost trade, reduce transportation costs and diversify supply chain from Asia to Europe through comprehensive connectivity approach based on standard harmonization, regional community building and digitalization. In the area of trade facilitation, the aim of the project is to identify main bottlenecks on the trade route from China to Europe through the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, and to implement measures to overcome them, such as enhanced data exchange between authorities and economic operators, as well as between countries.
The project will assist Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Romania in implementing their obligations under the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, such as data harmonization, recording and publishing average release times, cooperation between authorities, and perfecting the national single window. It will contribute to the national trade facilitation efforts of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan inter alia supporting them in the ongoing accession process to the WTO.

The project aims to promote intra-regional and international trade in Central Asia (CA) by enhancing the transparency of cross-border requirements, removing regulatory and procedural barriers, strengthening business capability to comply with trade formalities and standards, as well as by improving cross-border e-commerce. The project is structured according to four expected results:
1. Key regulatory and procedural obstacles to international trade are addressed; 2. SMEs capacities to comply with cross-border requirements (including notably quality standards, technical regulations, relevant preferential trading schemes/GSP+) are improved; 3. Improved Central Asia countries readiness, in particular women-led companies, for conducting cross-border e-commerce; 4. Increased opportunities for participation of women-led enterprises in international trade.