Diana Sarumova, Executive Director of the European Business Association Armenia and Board Member of the European Business Organisations Worldwide Network (EBOWN), represented the Europe, Neighbourhood and Central Asia region during the European Commission’s consultations on the future priorities of Global Europe post-2027.
The consultation with DG INTPA provided an important opportunity to bring the perspective of European businesses operating across the region into the discussion on the EU’s future external action and cooperation priorities.
A key message was that Europe, the Neighbourhood and Central Asia are increasingly interconnected, yet the region cannot be approached as one uniform political, economic or implementation space.
Across the region, businesses operate in very different environments while sharing important priorities: stronger connectivity, access to finance, resilient supply chains, digital and green transformation, and better conditions for SMEs to internationalise and grow.
The discussion also highlighted the growing role of Armenia and the South Caucasus within the broader Europe–Black Sea–Central Asia connectivity landscape, as well as the potential for stronger links between European businesses and emerging opportunities across the region.
European Business Organisations have an important role to play in this process — bringing practical market intelligence into the policy dialogue, connecting European companies with trusted local partners and institutions, and helping translate European priorities into concrete opportunities for businesses.
We look forward to continuing this dialogue and strengthening the contribution of the EBO Worldwide Network to practical, business-driven cooperation between Europe, the Neighbourhood and Central Asia
