Ministry of Economy will have consultative council for SMEs

A consultative council to coordinate the activity of small and medium enterprises in Moldova will be attached to the Ministry of Economy. This proposal is a result of the discussion on the report “Encouraging the development of SMEs” compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development with the financial support of the Dutch Government and presented on Thursday, March 10, Info-Prim Neo reports. The study indentified four key activities that the Government could do to stimulate SMEs development and increase their competitiveness. They include constant support policies for SMEs depending on economic evolution, improving access to funding, encouraging the implementation of innovations and strengthening the dialogue between Government and SMEs. “These measures were identified by analyzing Moldova’s SME sector compared to other countries in South East Europe. This year the implementation deadline of the SME Development Program expires and we’ll take them into consideration when working on the new Program for 2012-2014”, the Minister of Economy, Valeriu Lazar, said. Antonio Fanelli, OECD representative, assured that promoting SMEs would lead to Moldova’s economic growth, as they represent 98% of all companies. He recommended the opening of business incubators, scientific and industrial parks, SMEs export consortia, as new economic models able to enhance the link between research institutions and enterprises, to stimulate the implementation of innovations and new technologies, to increase the competitiveness of SMEs and of the Moldovan economy as a whole. Eugen Roscovan, head of Small Businesses Association, regards OECD report’s recommendations as interesting, but somewhat romantic for the Moldovan business environment. He said the new Program should consider alternative crediting sources for SMEs, as interests on bank loans are high. The new document should clearly state the rights of persons that perform patent-based entrepreneurial business. It should encourage the formation of small enterprises that would offer necessity goods and services in rural areas, where their number is well below European average. OECD provides forum where 33 governments work together and seek solutions to economic, social and globalization problems. These countries represent a big part of world’s economy and commerce.