AIM OF PROJECT :
Overall goal: facilitating the integration of SMEs in the EU with a view to fully develop their job-creating potential;
To strengthen SME associations in the CEEC to enable them to better represent SME-specific issues vis-à-vis their respective governments, increase professionalism in their day-to-day work and improve services offered to their member companies. The following target areas are set out:
- Relations with decision-making public authorities.
- Acquisition of new members / promotion.
- Alternative and innovative ways for the provision of information to companies, awareness raising and promotion of best practices on issues such as technology, quality and benchmarking.
- Promotion of business co-operation, assistance to partner searches, social policy issues etc.
- Improvement of services for member companies.
- Creation of a nation-wide organisation structure.
- Improvement of financial management / financial viability.
- Improvement of the knowledge about decision making processes in the EU.
- Assistance in international financing of SMEs.
- To disseminate the expertise acquired by each national SME association to other (sectoral and regional) SME structures in that same country.
- To create an efficient network of EU and CEEC SME associations in order enhance the information exchange and strengthen their position at European level.
- To develop or create durable partnerships of EU and CEEC national SME associations.
- To improve the relationship of CEEC governments and SME associations.
|
ACTIVITIES TO BE UNDERTAKEN:
- 4-months secondments of experts of EU SME associations to CEEC partners.
- short-term involvement of external experts on specific matters.
- one two-month or two one-month internships per CEEC partner in an EU SME association
- organisation of four per CEEC partner on topics of their choice (see target areas).
- short-term participation of staff members in events organised by the partner association.
- organisation of a conference of all EU and CEEC project partners with a view to exchanging experience and eliminate problems identified.
- creation of an on-line platform in order to rapidly exchange information and know-how.
|
(qualitative and quantitative)
- Improved professionalism of CEEC SME associations in the above-mentioned target areas, and, thus, improved company-oriented services and increased political influence at local, regional, national and European levels.
- Increased co-operation and co-ordination of horizontal and sectoral SME structures.
- Further development of the existing network of EU and CEEC SME associations within UEAPME.
- Enhancement of existing and creation of new durable partnerships of Western and Eastern European national SME associations.
- Improved on-line exchange of information, know-how and experience between all partners.
- Better co-operation of CEEC governments and SME intermediary structures.
|
|
