The seminar organised in cooperation with the Due Diligence Helpdesk on EU Sanctions for EU SMEs dealing with Iran and INSTEX, the EU-Iran Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges, will highlight the current opportunities and challenges of doing business with Iran, in light of EU restrictive measures. The participants will learn about permitted trade activities between the European Union and Iran and how they can use the Helpdesk to conduct due diligence on their proposed business activities and partners in Iran. The support of Instex to help SMEs best conduct their transactions in light of EU restrictive measures will also be presented.
The Due Diligence Helpdesk on EU Sanctions for EU SMEs dealing with Iran is a support tool provided by the EU Commission to encourage SMEs that are willing to engage with Iran, to do so in full compliance with EU legislation, by providing them with free-of-charge due diligence checks on specific business projects in Iran. The resulting due diligence reports enable EU SMEs to significantly lower their transaction costs by eliminating risks and, at the same time, they act as reassurance for financial institutions by providing strong reasons to facilitate transactions.
The goal of INSTEX is to facilitate legitimate trade with Iran in light of challenges faced by European companies who wish to continue trading in and with Iran in an unobstructed manner. INSTEX functions as a clearing house that facilitates the exchange of payment transactions between Europe and Iran.
Agenda
10.45 Registration and welcome coffee
11.00 Introduction on the EU-Iran relations in light of EU restrictive measures
- Simon Cheetam, Team Leader – Due Diligence Helpdesk on EU Sanctions for EU SMEs dealing with Iran
11.15 How the Due Diligence Helpdesk on EU Sanctions supports EU SMEs dealing with Iran
- Peter Sczigel, Head of events and partnerships – Due Diligence Helpdesk on EU Sanctions for EU SMEs dealing with Iran
11.35 The role of Instex to facilitate payments for trade between Europe and Iran
- Christian Weidenhiller, Head of KYC (Know Your Customer) – Instex
12.05 Testimony of European company doing business with Iran (tbc)
Q&A
12.30 Networking Lunch
