Supporting SME policy reforms in the Republic of Moldova

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the Moldovan economy and contribute significantly to job creation and economic growth. However, a large share of registered SMEs are either inactive or operate in low value-added sectors.

With the support of the OECD, the government of Moldova has taken significant steps to put in place a comprehensive institutional framework for SME development, most notably in its Small and Medium Enterprise Sector Development Strategy for 2012-2020.

Similarly, the SME Policy Index: Eastern Partner Countries 2016 shows significant improvement compared to 2012 across most dimensions of the Small Business Act for Europe. However, progress has been uneven and significant gaps remain. Moldova has introduced new e-government services, streamlined business registration processes, adopted a new innovation strategy, and made substantial progress in upgrading the quality infrastructure to facilitate SME internationalisation.

 Small Business Act scores for Moldova and the Eastern Partnership (EaP) region

Moldova was peer reviewed at the OECD Eurasia Competitiveness Roundtable in Paris in December 2013, focusing on two priority areas for SME development: i) Access to Finance, and ii) Business Development Services.

As a follow-up to the 2013 peer review, a report on Monitoring SME policy reforms in the Republic of Moldova was prepared for OECD Eurasia Week 2016. The report outlines progress achieved in implementing the initial policy recommendations on Access to Finance and Business Development Services, and identifies further reform priorities for the government.

Key Publications

Launch of the SME Policy Index: Eastern Partner Countries 2016 in Chisinau, Moldova on 19 April 2016

Daniel QUADBECK: daniel.quadbeck@oecd.org

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With the financial support of the European Union