Small Business Act for Europe Assessment 2020 - Regional SBA stakeholder meeting

The SBA assessment monitors the progress in the implementation of the ten principles of the Small Business Act for Europe and measures convergence towards EU practices and standards. 

 

The meeting will provide an opportunity for the OECD and its partners to share initial findings of the SBA assessment by thematic pillar and to present countries’ preliminary scores. It will also offer a platform to discuss potential information gaps as well as initial policy recommendations, encouraging the participants to comment and share their views regarding future priorities for SME development. 

 

The third cycle of the SBA assessment for the Eastern Partner Countries was launched in September 2018. The assessment builds on the established methodology and process of previous assessment rounds, but has been revised to incorporate new elements aiming at broadening the scope of the publication with an evaluation of the overall business climate conditions and to more accurately reflect private sector perspectives.

 

The dedicated methodology – the SME Policy Index – was specifically developed by the OECD in a joint effort with the European Commission, the EBRD and the ETF in 2006 and applied to four regions (the Western Balkans and Turkey, Eastern Europe and the Southern Caucasus, the Middle East and Africa, and Southeast Asia). 

 

The SME Policy Index identifies strengths and weaknesses in policy design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The purpose of the SBA assessment is to improve SME policy-making in partner economies and to enhance the capacity of policy-makers and institutions to foster entrepreneurship. It aims to support governments in setting targets for SME policy developments and strategic priorities to further improve their business environment. It also engages governments in policy dialogue and facilitates the exchange of experiences within the region and with the partner organisations. 

 

EU4Business: From Policies to Action is a regional project implemented by the OECD, which supports competitiveness and business environment reforms in the Eastern Partnership countries, working both at country and regional level.