The Western Balkans and Turkey are no exception. Together, their SMEs make up 99%\u00a0of all firms, generate around 65% of total business sector value added and account for\u00a073% of total business sector employment. Acknowledging these crucial contributions of\u00a0SMEs to their economies, governments across the region have set up dedicated agencies\u00a0and developed strategies to foster SMEs\u2019 competitiveness. However, more remains to be\u00a0done to tackle the challenges facing SMEs and entrepreneurs in the region, ranging from\u00a0access to finance to participation in international trade. In light of its advancing economic\u00a0integration with the European Union (EU), addressing these challenges is both timely and\u00a0crucial for the economic development of the region.<\/p>\n
The SME Policy Index: Western Balkans and Turkey 2019 – Assessing the
\nImplementation of the Small Business Act for Europe provides an important tool to help\u00a0policy makers design and implement policies to support the creation, innovation and\u00a0growth of SMEs based on good practices in OECD and EU countries. It is the fifth
\nedition of this series, following assessments in 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2016. This report\u00a0provides a comprehensive overview of the implementation status of the ten Small\u00a0Business Act for Europe (SBA) principles, and monitors progress made since 2016.<\/p>\n
In\u00a0addition, it identifies the remaining challenges affecting SMEs in these EU pre-accession\u00a0economies and makes recommendations to overcome them. It also provides guidance on\u00a0how they can meet EU requirements and converge towards global best policy practices.
\nThe assessment shows that in recent years many new public initiatives have surfaced, in\u00a0particular those providing technical and financial support to SMEs. Increasingly,\u00a0entrepreneurs can turn to public institutions for advice and support to help them start and\u00a0grow a business. At the same time, administrative barriers to starting and sustaining a\u00a0small enterprise have been further reduced. While these developments are welcomed, some persistent deficiencies remain. Regulatory<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs are key drivers of\u00a0inclusive and sustainable growth, job creation, skills development and innovation. As\u00a0such, creating thriving environments for SMEs is at the forefront of the policy-making\u00a0agenda in OECD countries and beyond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":9009,"template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[10379],"product_tag":[10293,10294],"class_list":{"0":"post-9008","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-altax-library-en","7":"product_tag-sme","8":"product_tag-western-balkans-en","10":"first","11":"instock","12":"downloadable","13":"virtual","14":"purchasable","15":"product-type-simple"},"yoast_head":"\n