SME policy index 2009: progress in the implementation of the European Charter for Small Enterprises in the Western Balkans

This report presents an assessment of the quality and the level of implementation of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) policy in the Western Balkans, comparing results with a previous assessment conducted in 2006 and published in 2007.The report covers Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo. The assessment framework is based on the European Charter for Small Enterprises (the Charter), a set of policy guidelines endorsed by the European Union Member States and a key component of the European Union Lisbon Agenda. The report covers the 10 policy dimensions included in the Charter. It applies a methodology known as the SME Policy Index, which makes it possible to quantify and compare qualitative policy features. The first part of the report reviews progress by policy dimension. The second part focuses on policies supporting high-growth SMEs. The intention is to provide a comprehensive review of good practices, introduce country assessment methods through two case studies (the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia) and open a debate on what is likely to be a key component of the SME agenda for the next few years. The third part of the report includes stocktaking and progress reviews for each of the seven Western Balkan economies. The key finding is that over the last two years there has been good progress in elaborating and implementing policies supporting small enterprises all across the Western Balkans and there is clear convergence towards the adoption of the policy guidelines set in the Charter. However, progress has been uneven across the 10 dimensions and the seven economies covered by the report.

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