The EU-Western Balkans cluster policy and matchmaking event is set up to support clusters as networking support organisations especially for SMEs, in their mission to open up new markets, to collaborate on cross-sectorial level and provide first relevant contacts to their members.

As part of an approach aimed at promoting international cluster cooperation for the benefit of SMEs, the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs of the European Commission (DG GROW) is supporting international, cross-regional and cross-sectorial cluster cooperation through the European Cluster Collaboration Platform, including by organising specific cluster matchmaking events. These activities are carried out to support efforts of cluster organisations in developing partnerships and business cooperation in European and global markets, for the benefit of their members. The current activities are funded under the EU COSME Programme.

The European Cluster Collaboration Platform provides a visible framework for cluster collaboration and for subsequent events. The ECCP is the cornerstone of the European strategy in support of SME internationalisation through clusters. It provides a wide range of information and services to facilitate the interaction between clusters, not only within Europe but also with international partners.