From Europe to the Republic of Korea: Expanding Environmental Business Partnerships

From 18 – 22 May 2026, 40 European SMEs and start-ups participated in the EU Business Hub @ ENVEX 2026 business mission in Seoul, the Republic of Korea. During the course of 5 days, participants had the chance to attend insightful market intelligence presentations and forums and connect and secure partnerships with top leaders in the Green and Low-Carbon technologies industry in Korea.

Bridging European and Korean Innovations Through Green Technologies
On the first day of the mission, participants arrived in Seoul for the Welcome & Networking gathering. They were welcomed by Patrick Polacsek, the programme’s representative from the EU Delegation (EUD) in Seoul and had the opportunity to meet their coaches and fellow participants during a networking gathering. As they connected with the group with whom they would be sharing the week ahead, the event marked the official start of the business mission. 19 May opened with the briefing session. This session was dedicated to two different presentations: one on business insights on market entry (presented by Hyun Seung Lee, Chair at ECCK), and a second one on Korean green and low carbon technology market outlook (presented by Nicola Weir, International Sustainability & Climate Leader at Deloitte Asia-Pacific).  

In the afternoon, the participants attended the forum "EU Clean Tech – Driving Tomorrow's Industrial Competitiveness" co-hosted by the EU Business Hub Programme and the EU-Korea Green Partnership Programme. The event brought together over 150 participants and high-level speakers such as, Kerstin Jorna, Director-General for Industry, Internal Market, Entrepreneurship & SMEs (DG GROW) at the European Commission; Philippe Van Hoof, Chairperson at the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK); and Young-Jun Cho, Executive Director at the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI). They contributed to discussions on how clean energy solutions can strengthen competitiveness and accelerate the green transition, as well as collaboration opportunities in the green energy transformation between the EU and the Republic of Korea. This forum was followed by a panel discussion on the practical steps of the green energy transformation.
 

Opening Doors to the Korean Environmental Market
From the third day to the fifth day of the mission, EU participants exhibited at the EU Pavilion at ENVEX 2026, which attracted more than 40,000 visitors and 316 exhibitors from around the world. The 40 promising EU companies showcased cutting-edge technologies and expertise in areas such as circularity, environmental monitoring analysis and assessment equipment, energy systems and clean energy technologies. Throughout the exhibition days, representatives from relevant Korean companies and institutions had the opportunity to experience Europe's advanced technologies first-hand and actively engage in one-to-one meetings with our participants.
 

EU companies also held Pitching Sessions at the trade fair where they directly introduced their technologies and solutions to the visitors. With the support of the expert interpreters and coaches, booth aid and decoration, and the B2B matchmaking provided by the programme, our participants held over 560 meetings with local counterparts. 

In addition, a Business Networking Reception was held on the evening of Wednesday, 20 May, at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas, where our participants, representatives of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Korea, as well as representatives from local companies, industry associations, and investment firms, participated along with other key industry figures from the EU and the Republic of Korea.

Diving into the future: Stronger ties with Japan and the Republic of Korea!
If you are also an EU SME or start-up in the digital solutions, green and low carbon technologies or healthcare and medical equipment sector, looking to expand to Japan or the Republic of Korea, join our upcoming business missions: EU Business Hub @ Korean Electronics Show 2026 in October and EU Business Hub @ Semicon Japan 2026 in December. Don’t miss out!

Learn how the EU Business Hub can support your company:

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EU Business Hub – Japan and the Republic of Korea is an EU-funded programme launched in 2024 to support EU SMEs and start-ups in the Green and Low-Carbon, Digital, Healthcare and Medical Equipment sectors in expanding into the Japanese and Korean markets. Between 2024 and 2027, the programme is organising 20 sector-focused business missions – 10 in each market – with services including strategic coaching, matchmaking, local interpretation, and full logistical support. The EU Business Hub is the successor programme of the EU Business Avenues / EU Gateway to Japan.