SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES IN THE EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE

The recent White Paper on Growth, Competitiveness and Employment issued by the Commission of the European Community outlined a strategy for the development of the European economy at the turn of the century. The EC has recognized the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to growth, and has implemented programs to promote them. This paper emphasizes the need to place policies regarding SMEs in a comprehensive and coherent industrial strategy which focuses on the promotion of market forces in an international context.