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The Czech Republic is a stable, prosperous country that's worth a look if you want to increase your trade with Central Europe. I have a site in this issue that will get you started toward a bright future with the Czech Republic. Also, I have a United Nations site with a wealth of trade contacts and information for 56 countries. The World Bank awards billions of dollars worth of contracts every year, and you can learn how to win some of those contracts at a site I found. Finally, if you love gardening, I have the ultimate gardening site, with all the advice and information you'll need to grow a bumper crop!
| CZECH REPUBLIC
Our Featured Country
The Czech Republic has been one of the success stories of the post-Communist era in Eastern and Central Europe. The political situation has been stable, and the economy has grown steadily, especially since 2000. In 2006 the Czech Republic was the world's 32nd largest importer, racking up US $87.7 billion in imports, while it was 35th on the list for exports, with US $89 billion. Prospects are good for continued growth, and if this sounds like a country you'd like to look into, a good site to visit is Czech Trade ( http://www.czechtradeoffices.com/Global ), the trade promotion agency for the Czech Republic. At Czech Trade you can click on a map and find regional offices where you can get help in establishing trade relationships with Czech businesses. Or, you can click on "Services" and do online searches for suppliers and business partners in the Czech Republic. Also, you can post offers and information about your services for Czech companies to peruse. In addition, there are news items about trade events and upcoming trade fairs and exhibitions in the Czech Republic.
You'll also find plenty of good research at the Czech Republic Mini Portal ( http://fita.org/countries/czech.html ), a feature of the FITA Web site. The Czech Republic Mini Portal has an overview of the country, with facts about the language, currency, climate, etc., plus more specific information about the economy, Czech markets, taxes, labor market indicators, and tips on doing business in the Czech Republic.
Click on "Useful Links" and you'll find a variety of sources for market research, trade leads, business directories, logistics, government contacts, travel, financing, and lots more.
The Czech Republic Mini Portal is one of many research gateways at the FITA site. To find Mini Portals for other regions or countries, just click on "Country Profiles" from within a Mini Portal, or at the FITA home page ( http://www.fita.org ).
FITA's Global Trade Book Store has some excellent books about doing
business in the Czech Republic. Check out Doing Business in the Czech Republic and Culture Smart! Czech Republic: A Quick Guide to Customs & Etiquette.
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FIND TRADE CONTACTS AT UNECE
Trade Promotion Directory for 56 Countries
If you're researching a foreign market, you'll find some help from the United Nations, in the form of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, or UNECE ( http://www.unece.org/trade/ctied/tradedir/trddir_h.htm ). UNECE is one of five regional commissions of the United Nations, and this one covers 56 countries, mostly in Europe (although the U.S. is included, as well as a number of Russian Federation states). What's useful about this site is that you can select a country from the list, and you'll find a directory of: government agencies, chambers of commerce, business associations, leads for trade and enterprise financing, regulatory agencies, investment information, and other trade facilitation links. It's all there right at your fingertips: postal addresses, phone & fax numbers, and Web & e-mail addresses. You can also read papers about UNECE and what it's doing to promote trade for its member countries.
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DO BUSINESS WITH THE WORLD BANK
Opportunities to Sell Goods and Services to the World Bank
Every year the World Bank lends between US $15-20 billion to developing countries, and this produces around 40,000 contracts for companies worldwide. There are many opportunities for companies here, but there is an art to winning a World Bank contract, particularly the large ones (which come under close scrutiny by World Bank staff). You can get lots of information about this at the World Bank Business Center ( http://www.worldbank.org/opportunities ). For even more information, click on "How To Do Business" and then "Corporate Procurement" and you'll find out about World Bank programs and bidding opportunities for vendors.
TIPS, ADVICE & INFO AT THE VIRTUAL LIBRARY OF GARDENING
Gardening Advice
Spring has arrived in my part of the world, and that means I need to visit a gardening Web site. My gardening skills are somewhere between green thumb and all-thumbs, and I often need to get advice about how to make something grow (flowers) or stop growing (weeds). I found a very good portal to gardening information at the WWW Virtual Library of Gardening ( http://www.gardenweb.com/vl/ ). It has links to many U.S. and international gardening sites, planting calendars, glossaries of botanical terms, societies & associations, message forums where I can get advice and tips from other gardeners, and much more. There's something here for the greenest amateur right up to professional horticulturists, and it's a good place to start your gardening research on the Web.
FITA CAREER HEADQUARTERS - FEATURED JOB
Assistant Export Manager for an Export Trading Company
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Please tell us what you think of these Really Useful Sites! Send us your comments (newsletter@fita.org) about this or past issues or to give us suggestions about future editions!
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If you'd like to see all back issues of Really Useful Sites for International Trade Professionals, the full list is at http://www.fita.org/useful/archives. |
Published by Federation of International Trade Associations
Copyright © 2007 Federation of International Trade Associations. All rights
reserved.
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