Towards a new policy in the region and in Lebanon to support small and medium enterprises

The “SME Policy Index: The Mediterranean Middle East and North Africa 2014, Implementation of the Small Business Act for Europe” report was launched recently.  The report assessed policies regulating small and medium enterprises in Lebanon and in 8 other countries of the region, and defined key priorities and reforms needed to liberate the capacities of these enterprises to generate jobs and development.  The report which was put together by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Union, and the European Training Foundation (ETF) in consultation with European Investment Bank, highlighted strengths and weaknesses in designing policies specific to this sector based on the Small Business Act for Europe (SBA) which was adopted by the European Union. Key recommendations of this assessment included stimulating coordination between ministries and relevant institutions working with SMEs and supporting the latter, registering SMEs via inclusive services centers, analysing better SMEs’ training needs, organizing training workshops on entrepreneurship, especially on women's entrepreneurship.
Source: Al-Nahar 9 October 2014