The Government of Netherlands will offer €600,000 to Moldova under a three-year-project aimed at supporting the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), Info-Prim Neo reports. The project will be implemented by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development with the support of the Ministry of Economy and the Organization for the Development of the SME Sector. At the project launch conference, Deputy Minister of Economy Sergiu Ciobanu stressed the importance of the assistance provided by the Government of the Netherlands for implementing the economic stabilization and recovery plan for 2009-2011, in which the small and medium-sized enterprises occupy a special place. “The SMEs create new workplaces and contribute to social cohesion and economic growth,” Sergiu Ciobanu said. Dutch Ambassador to Ukraine and Moldova Pieter Jan Wolthers said the Netherlands is ready to support the governmental initiatives in economy so that Moldova aligns its legislation to the European standards as soon as possible. “In 2006-2007, Moldova asked for such kind of assistance for the first time, but we could not provide support at that moment for certain reasons. The present Government repeated the request, showing that it has capacity and setting a clear course. This made us grant your request,” he said. Project manager Antonio Fanelli said the goal of the project is to assist the Government of Moldova in developing a coherent and well-structured policy on the SMEs and in working out a mechanism for implementing and monitoring the policies in the field. The SMEs in Moldova constitute 98% of the total number of companies. They employ half of the working population.