The EU-funded SwitchMed programme is taking part in the MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme’s Working Group on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurship policy in Rome on 4-5 July.

During the session focused on youth and women’s entrepreneurship, Giorgio Mosangini, team leader at the Regional Activity Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP/RAC) will introduce the SwitchMed programme and in particular its achievements regarding the SwitchMed Green Entrepreneurship Programme.

The Working Group will look at ways to support the improvement of SME policies to address the following key development questions for the MENA region:

• How can SME policies support economic diversification and competitiveness through a dynamic private sector?

• What to do to materialise the economic potential of women and youth through enterprise policy? How can SME policy also support economic resilience in the region?

• How to improve SME policymaking through effective institutions and public-private dialogue?

• What is the progress in the implementation of key reforms identified by the 2014 SME Policy Index for the MENA region?

The SwitchMed sustainable consumption and production programme aims to promote a switch by the Mediterranean economies towards sustainable consumption and production patterns and green economy, including low-emission development, through demonstration and dissemination of methods that improve resource and energy efficiency. It also seeks to minimise the environmental impacts associated with the life cycle of products and services and, where possible, to promote renewable energy.

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Press release

Meeting agenda

SwitchMed website