Fifteen EU countries, international financial institutions, other EU institutions and partner organisations such as the ETF (European Training Foundation) and the EEA (European Environmental Agency) were also present.

The meeting started with a political introduction from the European External Action Service (EEAS) on the road to the Riga Summit. This was complemented by the Latvian Presidency, who elaborated on the EaP Business Forum which was held on the sidelines of the Riga Summit.

Reports on past and future events followed which demonstrated the wide field of activity that Platform 2 covers, as well as the fact that individual events in different areas are closely linked to each other to ensure coherence of assistance. Next was a presentation on support to SMEs in the context of the Association Agreements including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area.

The afternoon session of the Platform meeting focused on environment and climate change. Partner countries outlined their priorities and common challenges for cooperation on environment and climate change under the Eastern Partnership. There was a special focus on the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Action.

The Eastern Partnership is an effort by the EU and its Eastern European partners to promote political and economic reforms in the Eastern partner region, and support efforts of the countries in the region to move closer to the EU. It is part of the EU Neighbourhood Policy.

It works on bilateral and multilateral tracks. 4 thematic platforms which meet twice a year are the main tool of the multilateral track. The Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs coordinates and chairs Platform 2, which is the broadest platform covering many sectorial policies.