Who we are

Trade Promotion Europe (TPE) is the European network that unites European Trade Promotion Organisations (TPOs) and Agrifood Promotion Organisations (APOs), dedicated to help European businesses, especially exporting SMEs, succeed internationally.

Our mission is to empower our members to enhance support for European exporters by facilitating joint initiatives, fostering knowledge sharing and speaking with one voice at EU level.

Our members are European national and regional organisations offering practical support to businesses to help them sell their products and services abroad. This includes concrete tools such as tailored export advice, detailed market intelligence, matchmaking with foreign buyers, participation in international trade fairs and missions, and training on export procedures.

These services help companies grow internationally – within the EU and globally. In 2024 alone, our members supported over 88,000 companies, more than half of which were SMEs.

Many of our members have a dual presence, operating both in their home Member State as the first point of contact for businesses and through a network of offices across the EU and in third countries. This structure ensures direct and continuous support for businesses looking to grow beyond their domestic markets.

Together, our members have over 80 offices in their home countries and over 600 offices abroad. Our network brings together more than 7,000 full-time professionals, working to strengthen European trade and support SME internationalisation.

TPE Members

Read more about our members here.

Objectives

🤝Close collaboration among members

TPOs and APOs are key drivers of EU economic growth through international trade. Their impact grows when they collaborate.

To support this collaboration, we organise meetings and events that foster knowledge-sharing and networking, from working groups to tailored conferences. We also lead joint projects that reflect shared priorities, including responses to EU calls for tenders and proposals.

🗣️ Unified EU engagement

All TPOs and APOs in TPE share a common goal: driving international business success while addressing shared challenges. To promote our members’ interests, we actively engage with EU institutions – sharing their insights, concerns, and priorities.

Our core message is clear: Europe needs greater synergy in support instruments for SME internationalisation. Through ongoing dialogue with key political and economic actors, we work to streamline and strengthen these mechanisms across the EU.

💡Strong TPOs & APOs community

TPE focuses on empowering European APOs and TPOs with the tools, insights and partnerships needed at EU and international level to support exporting SMEs and promote sustainable and inclusive trade.

Mission, vision and values

MISSION

The mission of TPE is to empower European Trade Promotion Organisations and Agrifood Promotion Organisations to optimise internationalisation support for their exporting companies by engaging as one voice with the EU Institutions and stakeholders, and facilitating effective collaboration among members.

VISION

The vision of TPE is that every internationally ambitious European company, particularly exporting SMEs, can reach its full export potential both within and outside the Single Market.

VALUES

Integrity

Collaboration

Inclusivity

Innovation

Structure & Governance

Board Members and Secretariat

Vasso Kyrkou

President

Enterprise Greece

Vasso Kyrkou

President

Enterprise Greece

Vasso is the general director of communications, marketing & stakeholder relations at Enterprise Greece, where she has worked for more than 20 years. An experienced communications professional, Vasso has an extensive track record of designing and implementing international stakeholder engagement and communication strategies. Prior to joining Enterprise Greece, Vasso served in various communication roles in the private sector, mainly related to shipping, IT and education. She is also currently vice president of the ANIMA Investment Network.

Francis Baert

Vice President

Flanders Investment & Trade

Francis Baert

Vice President

Flanders Investment & Trade

Mr Baert joined Flanders Investment & Trade in November 2015. He was active as project coordinator for several ERDF projects, Strategic Planning & Knowledge Manager and Coordinator of the Strategic Committee before being promoted to head of the strategy department (CSO) in November 2023. Before Flanders Investment & Trade, Mr Baert was active in academia. He was a researcher at the College of Europe, an associate researcher in European affairs at Ghent University and held various positions on comparative regionalism within the United Nations University – CRIS.

Eckart von Unger

Treasurer

Germany Trade & Invest

Eckart von Unger

Treasurer

Germany Trade & Invest

Eckart von Unger is Managing Director of the Market Research Department at Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI). GTAI is the foreign trade and inward investment promotion agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. Eckart’s department maintains an extensive network of correspondents around the world and reports on market opportunities and risks for German SMEs. Before joining GTAI in Bonn, Eckart worked for 20 years at the Federation of German Industries (BDI) in Berlin and Brussels, most recently as deputy head of the external economic policy department. In this role, he was responsible for international trade policy and representing BDI's respective interests vis-à-vis the EU institutions. Prior to this, Eckart held various positions at BDI headquarters, including Director Country Desk for the Asia-Pacific region and Coordinator of the North Africa and Middle East Initiative of German Business. He began his professional career in the press office of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) in the German Bundestag and worked in a strategy consultancy for public and governmental affairs. Eckart von Unger studied economics at the Free University of Berlin and business administration at the University of Cologne. He was a Research Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta while writing his dissertation on the economic and financial crisis in the ASEAN countries. Eckart von Unger speaks German, English, and French. He is married and has three children.

Anne Lanigan

Board member

Enterprise Ireland

Anne Lanigan

Board member

Enterprise Ireland

Anne joined Enterprise Ireland in 2003 and has held a number of management positions, including director of their Tokyo office and more recently head of Enterprise Ireland’s Brexit Unit. She has been a driver of change within the organization and a key architect of Enterprise Ireland’s proprietary Client Engagement Model. A mechanical engineer by training, Anne spent eighteen years in the private sector before joining Enterprise Ireland. Appointed regional director for the Eurozone in June 2018, Anne is responsible for Enterprise Ireland’s activities across the Eurozone, which are focused on increasing export growth into these markets.

Catherine Jurovsky

Board Member

BusinessFrance

Catherine Jurovsky

Board Member

BusinessFrance

Currently Project Director within Business France Department of Strategic Partnership in charge of International Cooperation projects, Catherine Jurovsky majored in Political Sciences at Sciences Po Paris and holds an MA in international Economics from the John Hopkins University, Washington, DC. She has a long record in communications, events and sales in both Private and Public sectors and has worked for the Stade de France, the AXA Group and the Viparis group (Venues in Paris) before joining UBIFRANCE in 2010 (to become Business France in 2015.