The EBSOMED project secretariat was invited to participate, with more than 50 policymakers from the public and private sectors of the Southern Neighbourhood as well as from the European institutions and Commission representatives, in a two-day seminar on policy formulation for MSMEs through a good practice approach. The event took place on 11-12 December, at the premises of the Union for the Mediterranean in Barcelona.

The Coordinator of the EBSOMED project, Marco Cunetto, presented the project, the different actions carried out, the first results after two years of implementation as well as the first success stories and the successful synergies with other EU funded programmes.

Ingrid Schwaiger, Deputy Head of Unit for Southern Neighbourhood Regional Programmes in DG NEAR of the European Commission, told during the event that “Contributing to an enabling environment for MSMEs in the Southern Neighbourhood is a central pillar of the EU's private sector development policy. This requires a continuous policy dialogue between all partners and a good understanding of the countries' priorities and needs.”

With the ultimate objective of contributing to the regional integration of the Southern Mediterranean, the EU-funded MED MSMEs programme will use a participatory national approach, based on international best practices and regional initiatives to inspire the formulation and implementation of integrated policies and instruments supporting the business environment for MSMEs. The programme will also facilitate the exchange of practices among peers and develop tools to support the internationalisation of target organisations. These activities will be closely coordinated with other EU regional programmes such as EBSOMED.