Citation
(2003), "Help for small firms in central and eastern Europe", Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 27 No. 8. https://doi.org/10.1108/jeit.2003.00327hab.005
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2003, MCB UP Limited
Help for small firms in central and eastern Europe
Help for small firms in central and eastern Europe
The European Association of Craft, Small and Medium Size Enterprises (UEAPME) is helping small firms in central and eastern Europe to get to grips with the changes that will result from the accession of their countries to the EU on 1 May 2004.
The help is provided under the Business Programme II initiative, supported by the European Commission.
A UEAPME spokesman commented: "Knowledge of the EU in these countries still seems lacking. Forty years of non-existent private-sector business-mindedness in most of these central and eastern European countries has left very little time for the small and medium-size enterprise sector to get organized and put strong intermediate structures into place."
Business Programme II aims to raise awareness of EU law in the areas of standardization, certification, quality, health and safety, the environment and social affairs, and to strengthen organizations representing small firms.