The SME Policy Index is a benchmarking tool designed to help emerging economies to monitor and evaluate their progress in designing and implementing policies that support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Index is structured around the ten principles of the Small Business Act for Europe (SBA), which are translated into 13 dimensions, providing a comprehensive set of pro-enterprise measures. Developed in 2006, by the OECD in partnership with the European Commission (EC), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the European Training Foundation (ETF), it has been applied to several regions, including the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) in 2006, 2009, 2012 (which included Türkiye for the first time), 2016, 2019 and 2022.
The main objective of the SME Policy Index is to provide governments with a framework to assess policies that promote SME development. The Index identifies strengths and weaknesses in policy design and implementation, facilitates cross-economy and cross-time comparisons, and tracks convergence towards EU and OECD SME policy standards. It also assists governments in setting targets and strategic priorities to further improve the business environment. Furthermore, the Index fosters policy dialogue and exchange of best practices, within the region and with OECD and EU member countries.
