SME PERFORMANCE REVIEW 2014/2015

SME PERFORMANCE REVIEW 2014/2015

METHODOLOGY BACKGROUND NOTE

COMPILATION OF SME POLICY MEASURES & ASSESSMENT OF THE SBA IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS

Client: European Commission November 2015 Authors: Nuray Unlu Bohn, Gavriel Avigdor, Demetrius Klitou

SME Performance Revie 2014/2015

Compilation of SME Policy Measures & Assessment of the SBA Implementation:

WP 2 METHODOLOGY BACKGROUND NOTE

PROJECT CONSORTIUM MEMBERS

The project consortium is composed of the following organisations:

PricewaterhouseCoopers Société coopérative – the largest professional services firm in Luxembourg with over

2100 people employed from 57 different countries. It provides audit, tax and advisory services including management

consulting, transaction, financing and regulatory advice to a wide variety of clients from local and middle market

entrepreneurs to large multinational companies.

CARSA – a leading Spanish research, innovation and technology consultancy, with 25 years of experience in managing

projects, carrying out studies for public authorities, evaluating research funding programmes, and performing other research

and innovation activities, with a focus on SMEs.

The University of Manchester, Manchester Institute of Innovation Research – a research centre in the

Manchester Business School at the University of Manchester. The research and lecturing staff in the Institute focus on

technology, innovation management, science, technology and innovation policy, technology foresight, and the evaluation of

research and related topics.

INNOVA SpA – a research, innovation and technology consultancy with a presence in 8 countries, including the United

States. The consultancy is a major European player in management & innovation consulting and technology transfer and

valorisation, seed capital support and applied research lab facilities.

London Economics – a leading UK consultancy, specialised in economics and policy analysis, with expertise in analysis

of applied economics in all areas where they can provide a powerful set of tools for decision-makers.

DIW Berlin (German Institute for Economic Research) – the leading German think tank for applied economic research and

policy advice, headquartered in Berlin since its founding in 1925.

DIW Econ – the economic consulting company of DIW Berlin, with a clear focus on the business needs of clients, whose

work is based on the combination of sound economic theory with advanced economic tools and real data.

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

1.1 PURPOSE OF THE SME PERFORMANCE REVIEW STUDY ............................................................................................ 4

1.2 PURPOSE OF THE BACKGROUND DOCUMENT .......................................................................................................... 4

2. METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH ....................................................................................................................................................... 5

2.1 OVERALL APPROACH AND STEPS TAKEN ................................................................................................................. 5

2.2 MOBILIZATION OF THE NATIONAL EXPERTS ............................................................................................................. 6

2.3 COLLECTION AND ASSESSMENT OF THE INFORMATION ON POLICY MEASURES ................................................................ 8

2.4 PREPARATION OF THE NATIONAL SBA PROFILES - POLICY COMPONENTS FOR THE SBA FACT-SHEETS ................................. 9

2.5 POLICY ASSESSMENT .......................................................................................................................................... 9

2.6 DEVELOPMENT OF THE SBA IMPLEMENTATION STATUS REPORT .............................................................................. 10

3. ANNEX...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11

I. LIST OF NATIONAL EXPERTS ......................................................................................................................................................... 11

II. SME PR 2014/15 - LIST OF PERSONS CONTACTED BY THE NATIONAL EXPERTS ................................................. 12




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1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose of the SME Performance Review Study

One of the main goals of the “Study on the SME Performance Review 2014/2015” (SME

PR 2014/2015 study)1, under Work Package 2, was to collect relevant information on the

implementation of policy measures related to the Small Business Act (SBA) at national

level and, on this basis, to provide an overall assessment of the performance and

progress achieved in the implementation of the SBA across the 35 target countries.2

The main output of Work Package 2, based on the collection and compilation of national

SBA-related policy measures, included an inventory of national policy measures

structured according to each SBA principle and the subsequent creation of a searchable

Access database.

1.2 Purpose of the background document

The background document addresses, in particular, the methodological approach,

process and the different steps followed for collecting and assessing the SME policy

measures and the status of the implementation of the SBA under Work Package 2.

The reference period of the study was 2014 and the first quarter of 2015, and focused

on the EU28 Member States and 7 other Candidate or Associated Countries.

More specifically, this background document corresponds to: WP 2 - Task 2.5: Deliver a

set of related background documents ; and Subtask 2.5.1: Preparation of Methodology

background report including the methodology used for compiling SME policy measures

as well as the status of implementation.

The document focuses on a description of the process that was followed to collect,

compile, assess, and prioritise, according to the 10 SBA principles, the information on

SME policy measures in the 35 target countries.

1 The Study on the SME Performance Review 2014/2015 was carried out for the European Commission (DG ENTR, Unit D4) under the Framework contract No. 146/PP/ENT/2012. 2 EU28 Member States and 7 non-EU countries (Albania, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, , Turkey, Montenegro, Moldova and Serbia).




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2. Methodological approach

2.1 Overall approach and steps taken

The primary objective of WP2 was to compile information about SBA-related policy

measures adopted, implemented and/or announced during the reference period (1

January 2014 – 31 March 2015) in the 35 target countries.

The overall approach was based on the collection and analysis of various sources of

information and related documentation through desk and field research, by national

experts, and the compilation of individual policy measure fiches. The information was

organised and presented in National SBA profiles.

The template for the SBA country profile report was developed to include all aspects related to the SBA Fact Sheet and other information required for the SME Performance Review.

The National SBA profiles included the organisation of identified/compiled SME policy

measures according to the 10 principles of the SBA (Entrepreneurship, Second chance,

Think small first, Responsive administration, State aid & Public procurement, Access to

finance, Single market, Skills & Innovation, Environment and Internationalisation).

The National SBA profiles contain the prioritisation of the measures, the identification of

interesting policy practices, and the identification of previously announced measures

together with the description of the various factors that may have prevented their

actual adoption or implementation.

In addition to the National profiles and the searchable Access database, the main output

of Work Package 2 was the SBA implementation progress report, which presented the

overall EU-wide picture of the SBA implementation over the reference period of

2014/Q1-2015. This report provided an evidence-based update on EU-wide progress

made on the implementation of SBA since 2008 to date, with a particular focus over the

last 3 reference periods based on the analysis of aggregated findings of previous SME

Performance Review Studies. The assessment framework used was based on the

compilation of facts and figures as well as perceptions via surveys and interviews with

key SME stakeholders, crowdsourcing, and analysis of policy measures collected through

national experts in addition to desk research gathering key findings from external

studies, surveys and public consultations. It should be noted, however, that this SBA

progress report does not constitute a complete evaluation of the policy measures in

terms of effectiveness, efficiency, relevance and impact for each country.

Overall, the exercise aimed to identify, collect, compile and assess the following

elements for each target country:




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SME policy measures adopted, implemented or announced;

Strengths and weaknesses of the SME policy framework;

Interesting policy practices in support of SMEs;

Points of no action or lack of action on SBA policy measures announced during the previous reference period (2013/Q1-2014); and

Future plans of each country for addressing the SBA objectives.

The diagram below provides an overview of the approach and most of the steps taken.

Figure 1: Overall approach

The analysis carried out in the context of the SME PR 2014/2015 study can be potentially

replicated and transferred, as appropriate. The methodology can also serve as a guide to EU

services, practitioners and decision makers for devising their own approach, based on their

specific requirements, with a view to improve the monitoring and planning of SBA-related

policy measures.

2.2 Mobilization of the national experts

The national experts identified and contracted for each of the 35 target countries were

tasked with the collection of information in their respective country on the adopted,

implemented or announced SBA-related policy measures during the reference period of

the study as well as additional contextual information on the policy framework.




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For this purpose, the template in MS Excel for the policy measure fiches and relevant

guidelines/instructions were provided to the national experts. In addition, an internal

team was set up to provide assistance and guidance to the national experts when and

where necessary.

The national experts were asked to:

Collect the required information on the national policy measures affecting SMEs,

including the provision of elements on the implementation effectiveness and

possible impact;

Provide references of all relevant national documents (texts of law, programmes,

web links, etc.); and

Provide contextual information concerning the political situation, business culture,

and the role of SMEs in the society.

If the information was not available in English or another working language, the experts

were required to provide summaries and abstracts in English of the most important

elements of the relevant national SME policy measures.

The national experts were also required to carry out at least two interviews. As a priority,

one interview was required with the national SBA contact point and one with SME

associations. The list of persons contacted by the national experts during this phase is

included in the Annex II of this document.

The experts then identified the status of each SBA-related policy measure, i.e. whether it

was:

Adopted and/or implemented during 2014 and the first quarter of 2015; or

Formally announced during 2014 and the first quarter of 2015.

For announced policy measures, references to the relevant sources, such as press

releases or Government/Ministry/Agency announcements, etc. were included as

appropriate.

The experts were also tasked to:

Provide an assessment concerning the SBA implementation in each country over the

current reference period;

Provide an assessment on the SBA implementation in each country since 2008;

Provide a list of additional sources of information on the national policy measures;

Provide an overview of the situation for SMEs in the respective country;

Provide for each SBA principle a concise description of the collected policy measures

to be integrated in the SBA factsheets presenting recent SME policy developments;

Provide an assessment of the measures announced during previous period, incl.

possible reasons for lack of action taken in 2013; and

Indicate whether the policy measures identified are also relevant for the

Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan.




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In order to maximise the management of the Network of Experts, a briefing and

training session was organised in the format of a Webinar (or virtual workshop) with

all country correspondents to launch efficiently the data collection process. The

session allowed for direct interaction between the national experts and DG GROW

staff. In particular, DG GROW staff was be able to address the national experts, to

brief them and to reply to their questions. Following this workshop, all relevant

templates, background documents, reference material, as well as the slides and the

recording of the training session were uploaded to a cloud folder for the experts to

access freely.

2.3 Collection and assessment of the information on policy measures

The information on policy measures provided by the national experts for each of the 35

target countries was reviewed by the Consortium team. The policy measure fiches

produced by the national experts were verified, screened and filtered according to the

date, relevance, scope and source, and then checked for overlap with Structural Funds

measures and verified whether they were already mentioned over the previous reference

periods (2013/1Q2014).

The consortium created one summary table in MS Excel for each country based on the

measures collected/compiled by the national experts.

Prioritisation process of the measures: For each country and for each SBA area,

the policy measures were listed in an order of importance, based on the available

information and the informed opinions of the national experts.

Consultation of national authorities: The compiled policy information was shared

with Member States through a written consultation managed by the Commission.

At the request of the Commission services, the Summary tables were used as the

instrument for this consultation of Member States. The Summary table was devised in an

Excel file that allows track changes to be made. Each country SBA representative

received his/her country table where changes and modification could be introduced in

track changes.

Member States reviewed the national measures listed in their respective summary table,

which were announced or adopted/implemented during the reference period 1 January

2014 - 31 March 2015.

Finalisation of the listing of policy measures: The project consortium then proceeded to a

review and verification of the measures modified or introduced by the Member States

and finalized the measures retained for this year’s study to be included in the database

of national policy measures. For this purpose, the revised and individual SBA policy

measure fiches, created in Excel format, were subsequently compiled into an Access

database of national SBA-related policy measures.




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The assessments and policy measure fiches were also amended accordingly, based on

the comments provided by the Commission. The updated/finalized tables listing the

national measures, as reviewed by the national authorities, were then annexed to the

National SBA profiles.

2.4 Preparation of the National SBA profiles - policy components for the SBA

fact-sheets

The National SBA profiles were prepared, based on the national SBA-related policy

measures collected, for each of the 35 countries, and the contextual information on the

SBA policies provided by the national experts.

The National SBA profiles included an executive summary of around two-pages that

served as the policy extract and were subsequently used for the development of the

2014 SBA fact-sheets.

The National SBA profiles also included text comprising of a concise description of the

adopted policy measures collected and recent SME policy developments, outlining a

selection of the policy measures deemed to be most important by the national expert,

and providing an assessment of the status quo of the SBA implementation in the country

concerned, as well as an assessment of the progress made since 2008.

The country experts were instructed to fill the provided inventory checklist templates of

the SME policy measures for the individual countries to summarize the progress achieved

under each policy measure of the 10 SBA principles. The inventory checklists were

completed on the basis of the policy measures adopted, the stakeholders’ interviews and

additional desk research to fill any gaps in the information provided by the interviewees.

Based on the selection of policy measures for each country, an interesting policy practice

was identified, in consultation with the stakeholders, taking into consideration the results

of the interviews carried out by the national experts. The main criteria for identifying the

interesting policy practices were: successful implementation; Positive economic effects;

and Innovative in the subject it addresses and/or in the instruments that it deploys. The

interesting policy practices identified were also compared with the content of the SBA

Best Practice database as well as with the content of SBA fact-sheets from previous

years. The examples of the interesting policy practices were briefly presented in the

Status Report developed under Work Package 2 (see section 2.6 below).

2.5 Policy assessment

The policy assessments were based on the compilation of the national policy measures, which served as the main source. The assessments also integrated the inputs from the national experts in their initial assessments of the progress for each of the 10 SBA principles (over the current reference period and since 2008) for each country.




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Additional information such as relevant reports and recent available information on the framework conditions in each country (political, social, and economical) was also gathered and taken into account.

For each of the EU28 Member States, all relevant information from the above-mentioned

sources was summed up to create the Country Assessment Reports (CARs) – which

followed a standardised structure.

The policy progress was assessed according to the following categories, which were also

used by the national experts, in order to harmonise the approach:

Substantial progress was achieved if new important SBA policy measures were

implemented and all measures announced during the previous reference period

were adopted and implemented during the analysed reference period.

Moderate progress was reached if new measures and most measures announced

during the previous reference period were adopted/implemented during the

analysed reference period.

Limited progress was observed if only one or two new measures and none of the

measures announced during the previous reference period were

adopted/implemented during the analysed reference period.

The results of the policy assessment exercise and the generated CARs, in combination

with the JRC data on the SBA indicators and the inventory checklist results, were used to

prepare the Summary Paper (or SBA implementation progress report).

2.6 Development of the SBA Implementation Status Report

The SBA Implementation Status Report constitutes a Summary Paper that present the aggregated picture of the SBA implementation status across EU28 assessed from a policy point of view of the situation each of the SBA principles. Notably, the paper provides a view of the SBA implementation over the reference period of 2008/Q1-2015 and 2014/Q1-2015. The policy progress (2011-1Q2015) achieved under each SBA principle for all EU28 Member States was illustrated in graphs showing the aggregated number of policy measures adopted/implemented and the main policy trends (according to the specific sub-measures). The policy progress was combined and compated with the data on the SBA performance indicators. The costs of non-implementation was also analysed for certain principels and indiciators. Finally, conclusions were drawn on the most pressing issues and policy priroties going forward.




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3. ANNEX

I. LIST OF NATIONAL EXPERTS

Country Expert

Austria Marchart Jürgen

Belgium Gavriel Avigdor

Bulgaria Nadya Gabriel

Croatia Iva Štifanić Debelić

Cyprus Celia Hadjichristodoulou

Czech Republic Petra Kursova

Denmark Peter Heydebreck

Estonia Marje Josing

Finland Kimmo Viljamaa

France Emmanuel Boudard

Germany Kathleen Toepel

Greece Effie Amanatidou

Hungary Ivan Janos Toth

Ireland Simon Hardiman

Italy Rebecca Lucas

Latvia Katrina Zarina

Lithuania Arvydas Sutkus

Luxembourg Laurent Frideres

Malta Brian Warrington

Netherlands Raymond Voogt

Poland Natalia Mielech

Portugal Carlos Cabeleira

Romania Mădălin Ioniţă

Slovakia Petra Kursova

Slovenia Franc Gider

Spain Rafael Garcia del Poyo

Sweden Mose Apelblat

UK Simon Hardiman

Turkey Altan Küçükçınar

Moldavia Roman Chirca

Albania Fabiola Duro

Montenegro Zarko Djuranovic

Serbia Ivanka Visnijc

FYROM Risto Ivanov

Iceland Ásthildur Gunnarsdóttir




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II. SME PR 2014/15 - LIST OF PERSONS CONTACTED BY THE NATIONAL EXPERTS3

ALBANIA

Non-Governmental consultations

Institution Name surname Position

National Institute of Statistics Mr. Gjergji Filipi General Director

National Institute of Statistics Mrs. Flutura Rama Manager of Databases and Metadata Sector

Bank of Albania Mrs. Elsa Zhulali Communication Expert

Tirana Chamber of commerce Mrs. Klotilda Binjaku Head of Unit

Governmental consultations


Ministry of Economic Development, Tourism, Trade

and Entrepreneurship

Mrs. Borana Kalemi Specialist, Competitiveness Policy Department

Ministry of Economic Development, Tourism, Trade

and Entrepreneurship

Mr. Bashkim Sykja Director of Competitiveness Policy Department

Albanian Investment Development Agency

Mrs. Ledia Karaja Specialist

Ministry of Education and Sports

Mrs. Dorina Rapti Head of Unit

Ministry of Environment Mrs. Laura Grezda Head of Unit

Ministry of Labour Mrs. Genta Qosja Head of Employment Policy Sector

Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mrs. Silvana Leskaj Head of Economic Diplomacy Division

General Directorate of Standardization

Mrs. Kostanca Dedja Director

AUSTRIA



Federation of Austrian Industries

Mag. Konstanze Steinacker

Austrian Research Promotion Agency

DI Stefan Kreppel

Austria Wirtschaftsservice Gesellschaft mbH

Mag. Christian Stein



Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth

Mag. Maria Christine Zoder

Mag.iur. Tanja Neubauer

Federal Procurement Agency MR Mag. Wolfgang Pointner Head of Legal Department

BELGIUM



Brussels Entreprises Commerce and Industry

Mr. Olivier Willocx Director

3 Public officials and SME representatives have kindly provided data and information for the purpose of the research related to the SME PR in their area of responsibility. They are not accountable for possible errors or omissions which may have been made. The national experts and the project consortium hold overall responsibility for the quality and content of the information provided regarding the national measures and the overall assessment of the implementation of SBA at national level.




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Union des Classes Moyennes Mr. Jonathan Lesceux Advisor

Unie van Zelfstandige Ondernemers

Ms. Veronique Willems Policy Advisor



Federal Government: SPF Économie

Mr. Renaud Gosselin Attache EU/INT SME policy

Federal Government: SPF Économie

Mr. Christophe Herinckx Attache

Flemish Government Ms. Ilse Boeykens Attache, Department of Economy, Science and

Innovation

Wallonia region Mr. Antoine Bertrand Attache SME policy sector

Brussels Capital Region Ms. Isabelle Zérard Attache SBA policy

BULGARIA



Procurement Agency Mr. Ivan Katzarov Secretary General

Jeremie Bulgaria Mr. Stefan Tzalov Regional Business Development

Bulgarian SMEs Promotion Agency

Mr. Evgenij Ivanov Executive Director

National Association of Small and Medium Business

Mrs. Eleonora Negulova Executive Director

Bulgarian Industrial Association Mr. George Shivarov Executive Director

Bulgarian Development Bank Ms. Elitza Ivanova Advisor

RIA.BG Mr. Toni Dimov Lawyer



Council of Ministers Directorate Modernization of the

Administration

Ms. Nusha Ivanova

Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism

Mr. Ivaylo Gruncharov Deputy Head

OP Competitiveness & Innovations

Mr. Mustafa Chaushov Senior Expert Programming

Ministry of Education Ms. Emilia Valchovska Head of Department Professional Education

CROATIA



Croatian Employers' Association

Mrs Anny Brusić

Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and

Development

Mrs Jadranka Mršić Hebrang

Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and

Development

Mr. Andrea Milić



Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Crafts

Ms. Snjezana Ivić Pavlovski

Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Crafts

Ms. Antonija Mršić

CYPRUS






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Bank of Cyprus Mr. Andreas Kythreotis Bank officer for Jeremie

P.O.V.E.K (Small Shopkeepers Association)

Mr. Stephanos Koursaris President

Nicosia Chambers of Commerce and Industry

Mr. Costas Giorgallis Chairman of Board

Cyprus Chambers of Commerce

Mr. Marios Tsiakkis General Manager

Cooperative Central Bank Mr. Giorgos Aresti Corporate & SME Division



Ministry of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism

Mr.Constantinos Karageorgis SME Envoy


Mrs. Maria Theodorou WG SME Expert


Mrs. Vicky Tsangaridou Haggipavlou

Officer Industrial Development Service

Ministry of Education and Culture

Mr. C. Georgiou Inspector of Education

Ministry of Finance Mr. Kyriacos Constantinides IT Officer

CZECH REPUBLIC



Association of Small and Medium-sized Entreprises and

Crafts

Mr. Karel Havlicek Chair of the Board

SMEs Union Mr. David Šeich Advisor

Czech Trade Agendy Mrs. Zuzana Sedmerova Project Manager



Ministry of Industry and Trade Mr. Marian Piecha Advisor

Ministry of Industry and Trade Mrs. ElinaValerie Lunova WG Expert

Ministry of Education. Youth and Sport

Mr. Jan Doubal Lawyer

DENMARK



Danish Federation of SMEs Mr. Frank Korsholm

Danish Chamber of Commerce Mrs. Louise Riisgaard

The Danish Growth Fund Ditte Rude Moncur

Confederation of Danish Industry

Jes Lerche Ratzer

Danish Business Authority Pernille Gravina Husby

Danish Business Authority Mr. Jakob Solmunde

ESTONIA



Estonian Association of SMEs Mrs. Marina Kaas Vice-President

Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Mait Palts Director General

Enterprise Estonia Tiina Kalju Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centre

Enterprise Estonia Allar Korjas Director of Export Division



Ministry of Economic Affairs and communications

Mr. Kaupo Sempelson Leading specialist

FINLAND




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University of Turku Mrs. Jarna Heinonen SME expert

The Federation of Finnish Enterprises

Antti Neimala Advisor

Finnvera Mrs. Laura Strandberg



Ministry of Employment and the Economy

Pertti Hämäläinen

Ministry of Employment and the Economy

Mrs. Anna-Liisa Heikkinen

FRANCE



French Chamber of Commerce Ms. Claire Sovignet in charge of relations with the government

Entreprise Europe Network France

Ms. Léa Floury Advisor

Chamber of Trades and Crafts Ms. Laure Anne Copel in charge of the European Department

KPMG Mr. Richard Necker Accountant



Ministry of the economy and finance

Ms. Luisa Oliveira Direction of enterprises, Office of coordination of European

policies

General secretariat of the government for evaluation and

moratorium on norms

Mr. Antoine Planquette Manager

General secretariat of the government for simplification

Mr. Pascal Schuster Project Manager

FYROM



Economic Chamber of commerce

Ms. Biljana Peeva Head of business association

Economic Chamber of commerce

Ms. Jadranka Arizankova Representative of European Innovation network and Horizon

2020

Basme (SME) Mr. Vlatko Danailov Entrepreneur

TargetComm Ms. Svetlana Petrovska Entrepreneur



Cabinet of Vice president of FYROM Government

Romela Popovik Head of Economic Policy, Structural Reforms and

Investments

Ministry of economy Mr. Blerim Zlatku Advisor to the Minister for entrepreneurship and

innovation

Ministry of economy Ms. Susanna Arsova-Kostadinova

Assistant Head of Department

Ministry of economy Ms. Jasmina Majstorovska Advisor in Industry policy department

Agency for promotion of entrepreneurship

Mr. Marjan Stojcev Head of SME department

Agency for promotion of entrepreneurship

Ms. Marija Taseva Advisor




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GERMANY



Association of German Chambers of Commerce and

Industry

Mr. Gosau

Association of Family-Owned Businesses

Mr. Mitrenga



Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

Mrs. Gerling

National Regulatory Control Council

Mr. Spengler

GREECE



Ministry of Reconstruction of Production, Environment and

Energy

Mr. Z. Mavroukas SME envoy


Energy

Mr. I. Kottakis SME Responsible


Energy

Mr. I. Plemmenos SME Sherpa

HUNGARY



National Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers

Mr. János TARDOS Co-President

Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Ms. Erika URBÁN Legal Advisor, Department for Economic Analyses

Small Business Development Center / Corvinus University

Budapest

Mr. Attila PETHÖ Assistant Professor

Corvinus University Budapest Ms. Vera TAKÁCS Expert, Predoctoral student, Department for World

Economics



Ministry for National Economy Ms. Kármen BILLO Deputy Head of Department, Department for Business

Development

Ministry for National Economy Ms. Fanni RIGÓ Policy expert, Department for Business Development,

ICELAND



Innovation Center Iceland Mjöll Waldorff

Business Iceland Bergþóra Halldórsdóttir

Iceland Chamber of Commerce Frosti Ólafsson

Iceland Chamber of Commerce Marta Guðrún Blöndal

IRELAND



Ministry for Jobs, Enterprise Mr. Patrick Rochford Department of Jobs, Enterprise




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and Innovation & Innovation

Ministry for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Mr. Stephen Walsh Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation

ITALY



Confindustria-Piccola Industria Mr Luigi Paparoni Director

Union Camere Mr Pierluigi Sodini Head of the Department "Municipal Councils and

Companies Register

Confartigianato Mr Bruno Panieri Director of Economic Policies



Ministry of Economic Development DG for industrial

policy, competitiveness and SMEs

Ms. Patrizia Iorio Head of the Department

Ministry of Economic Development

Mr. Paolo Carnazza Advisor

Ministry of Economic Development

Ms. Marielda Caiazzo Advisor

LATVIA



Latvian Chamber of commerce and Industry

Mr. Marcis Dzelme Policy division

Latvian Chamber of commerce and Industry

Mr. Marcis Dzelme Policy division

Latvian Small and Medium Enterprises Forum

Ms. Elina Egle



Ministry of Economy Ms. Ilze Lore

LITHUANIA



Council of Small and Medium Enterprises

Ms. Dalia Matukienė Chairman

Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists

Mr. Sigitas Besagirskas head of Economy and Finance Department

Lithuanian Innovation Centre Mr. Mantas Vilys Director



Ministry of Economy Ms. Raminta Krulikauskienė Head of SME Policy Division, Department of Small and Medium Size Business

LUXEMBOURG



Chambre de Commerce Luxembourg

Mr. Gérard Eischen

Chambre de Commerce Luxembourg

Mr. Marc Wagener

Chambre des Métiers du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg

Mr. Marc Gross






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Ministry of Economy Mr. Laurent Solazzi

MALTA



Malta Chamber of Commerce Mr Lino Mintoff Policy Development Manager

Association of General Retailers and Traders

Ms. Abigail Mamo CEO



Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Business

Mr. Brian Grima Enterprise Policy and Schemes Directorate

Ministry of Home Affairs Ms. Lorraine Mangion Duca Director Policy Development and Programme Implementation

MOLDOVA



Organization for Development the Small and Medium

Enterprises Sector,

Ms. Olga Popa Project Manager

Agency for Innovation and Technology Transfer,

Mr. Lilian Boboc Head of Technology Transfer Department



Ministry of Economy Mrs. Valentina Veveriță Head of Development and Trade SMEs Policy Department

MONTENEGRO



Chamber of Economy of Montenegro

Mr. Aleksandar Mitrovic Head of Legal and Financial Department,

Montenegrin Employers Federation

Mrs. Suzana Radulovic Secretary General

Chamber of Economy of Montenegro

Mr. Pavle Radovanovic Secretary General

EEN Mr. Aleksandar Pavicevic National SBA Coordinator

EEN Ms. Ljiljana Belada Coordinator and Montenegrin representative in the COSME

Committee

NETHERLANDS



MKB-Nederland Mr. Mario van Mierlo

ONL Mrs. Marieke Dekker

LTO Nederland Mr. Klaas Johan Osinga

ZZP-Nederland Mr. Leo Kits,

Recron Mrs. Mira Levi



Ministry of Economic Affairs Mrs. Jochebed Kasteneer

Ministry of Economic Affairs Mr. Rolf Moester

POLAND



Polish Craft Association Ms. Elżbieta Lutow Director, Enterpreneurship Development Unit




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National Chamber of Commerce

Ms. Katarzyna Dwórznik Legal & Economic Expert



Ministry of Economy Mr. Michał Drobniak Head of Unit

PORTUGAL



Trade & Investment Agency Pedro Sousa Rodrigues Advisor



Ministry of Economy Jorge Conceição Silva

Ministry of Economy Nuno da Costa Santos Strategy and Studies Office

ROMANIA



Regional Development Agency North –East

Mrs. Gabriela Macoveiu Communication Director

Post Privatization Foundation Mr. Peter Barta CEO

Regional Development Agency Bucharest

Mr. Ioan Ciuperca Director



Ministry of Economy Mr. Adrian Panait General Director

Ministry of Economy Mrs. Doina Marin Director

Ministry of Economy Mrs. Anca Maria Borcea Head of Directorate

Ministry of Economy Mr. Florin Ioan Rosu Expert

SERBIA



Ministry of Economy Mrs. Katarina Obradović Jovanović

SBA Coordinator

Ministry of Economy Mrs. Jelena Stevanović Sector for the development of SMEs

Bankruptcy Supervision Agency Mrs. Silvana Veljković

The Serbian Business Registers Agency

Mr. Marija Pajić

Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government

Mrs. Marija Kujacic

Public procurement office Mrs. Svetlana Razic

Ministry of Economy Mrs. Ana Kijac Sector for quality infrastructure

SLOVAKIA



Slovak Business Agency Mr. Daniel Pitonak Head of Business Environment Analyses Department



Ministry of Economy Mr. Vladimir Tanistrak Department of SME & Innovation

Ministry of Finance Mr. Lukas Lukac Director of the Department of Management of the Operational

Programme for Information Society




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SLOVENIA



Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia

Mrs. Alenka Avberšek

Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia

Mr. Igor Knez

Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia

Mrs. Maja Rigač

SPAIN



Confederación Española de Jóvenes Empresarios

Ms. Alicia Rodrigo Project Coordinator



Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism

Ms. María Simó Sevilla Vice-Director General Innovation programme for

SMEs

Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism

Mr. Antonio Fernández Ecker Vice-Director General for SME support

SWEDEN



Agency for Economic and Regional Growth

Ms. Maria Evertsson

Confederation of Swedish Enterprise

Mr Johan Fall

Employer and trade organization for the Swedish

service sector

Mr Johan Huldt

Agency for Growth Analysis Mr Lars Sundell

Swedish Federation of Business Owners

Ms Rebecca Källström

European association of craft small and medium-sized enterprises (UEAPME

Ms Gunilla Almgren President



Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications

Mr Håkan Hillefors

TURKEY



Ankara Chamber of Industry Dr. Yavuz CABBAR Secretary General



Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organisation

Ms Esra ATAŞ KAYA SME expert

UK



Ministry of Innovation & Skills Sydney Nash Dept. of Business

Ministry of Innovation & Skills Peter Stephens Dept. of Business

Ministry of Innovation & Skills Olajumoke Olumewo Dept. of Business

Documents

SME PERFORMANCE REVIEW 2014/2015