EU enterprise policies have been a valuable source of inspiration for the Mediterranean neighbours, according to a study carried out by the Commission, its partner organizations and stakeholders in the Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPCs). The study is the result of eight months of monitoring and reviewing the progress achieved under the Euro-Mediterranean Charter for Enterprise, adopted by industry ministers in 2004 and based on the model of the European Charter for Small Enterprises.
In his foreword, Enterprise Commissioner, Günter Verheugen, notes the value of the Charter. The study, he says, “proves that our Mediterranean partners are developing a strong entrepreneurial culture, which is a valuable asset for them and a precondition for successful growth and job creation.” It also underlines the importance of further close cooperation in this area. The Commissioner uses the occasion of the presentation of this 172-page report, available in English and French, “to invite our partners to profit from the Commission’s recently tabled proposals on how to best promote SMEs and entrepreneurship (the Small Business Act for Europe).”
Peace, stability and prosperity are objectives which the EU and its Mediterranean Partners share. Vibrant enterprises, led by down-to-earth but ambitious entrepreneurs, are, in my view, a vital element in achieving these common goals, says Günter Verheugen.
The report provides a comprehensive picture of the development of policies that support and promote entrepreneurship and enterprise development. This pilot project was led and coordinated by the European Commission, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the European Training Foundation and the European Investment Bank, and conducted in partnership with the MPCs Charter stakeholders.
One of its key achievements has been the enhancement of dialogue between governmental institutions and private sector organisations. Another is the exchange of information and experiences at the country and MPCs regional level.
Today, private enterprises are the main engine of growth in the Partner Countries, progressively replacing government-sponsored investment programmes and state-owned companies. According to the finding, over the last three years the region has experienced strong economic growth and has embarked on programmes of structural economic reform aimed at improving the business environment and facilitating enterprise development.
However, it still faces a number of challenges, the most pressing of which are: generating a sufficient number of jobs to absorb the fast-growing number of young and increasingly better educated entrants into the labour market; promoting entrepreneurship, in particular among women and youth; and reducing overall unemployment. At the same time, enterprises need to innovate and grow to withstand the increasing level of competition arising from the process of economic integration at global, Euro-Med and regional levels.
