The OECD and its partners will meet in Chisinau for two meetings in support of SME development in Moldova on 2 and 4 April, organised in the framework of the EU-funded project ‘EU4Business: From Policies to Action’.
On 2 April, the working group of the project on ‘Supporting the implementation and monitoring of Moldova’s SME Development Strategy’ will hold its second meeting, followed on 4 April by an SBA Public-Private Reconciliation meeting.
The objective of these two meetings is twofold:
1. To discuss Moldova’s strategy to foster SME internationalisation and supply chain linkages in the food processing sector
The OECD supports the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure (MEI) in designing and implementing policies and support measures to foster the internationalisation of SMEs, and to enhance supply chain linkages between local SMEs and large investors. The food processing sector has been identified as a focus sector for the implementation of the project.
The objective of the working group meeting is to discuss (a) barriers to internationalisation faced by the SMEs operating in the food-processing sector, (b) objectives, methodology and deliverables of the OECD project supporting implementation and monitoring of the SME Development Strategy, and (c) international practices in supporting better integration of SMEs into global value chains.
Besides the experts from the OECD, the list of speakers includes Mr Ján Oravec, (Executive Director of the Slovak Business Agency), Julian Lawson Hill (Expert of SME internationalisation), representative of ODIMM, and Mr Iurie Fala (Executive Director, Fruit Producers and Exporters Association).
2. To share the initial findings of the third SBA assessment cycle
The Small Business Act for Europe (SBA) is an overarching framework for EU policy on SMEs. It aims to improve the approach to entrepreneurship in Europe, simplify the regulatory and policy environment for SMEs, and remove the remaining barriers to their development. The third cycle of the SBA assessment for the Eastern Partner Countries was launched last September. The assessment builds on previous assessment rounds, but has been revised to incorporate new elements aimed at broadening the scope of the publication to allow for an evaluation of overall business climate conditions and to more accurately reflect private sector perspectives.
The SBA public-private reconciliation meeting on 4 April will bring together SME policy stakeholders. This includes government representatives from line ministries and government and regional agencies, as well as representatives from the private sector, academia and other international organisations.
The OECD and its partners will have the opportunity to share initial findings of the SBA assessment and discuss the main information gaps, as well as cross-check the validity of the findings. It will also offer a platform to discuss initial policy recommendations, encouraging the participants to comment and share their views regarding future priorities for SME development in the country. The OECD will also present the next steps leading to the SME Policy Index 2020 publication.
The EU4Business: From Policies to Action project is implemented by the OECD and supports competitiveness and business environment reforms in the Eastern Partnership countries, working both at country and regional level.