Having in mind the OECD recommendation and the Principle 5 of the Small Business Act for Europe, which invites countries to “refocus state aid policy to better address SMEs’ needs, including the design of better targeted measures” (OECD et al, 2019, p. 208)*, the guide “State Aid as an Incentive for SME Development in BiH” was published.
The guide was prepared by Ms. Radmila Mihić, and it is intended for policymakers, directors of companies and entrepreneurs, with the aim to clarify the concept of state aid and its importance as a development instrument, and to point out the opportunities available and the pitfalls to be avoided in this area. The guide presents state aid rules for SMEs in order to contribute to their effective implementation.
The guide also presents the “Temporary Framework for State aid measures to support the economy in the current COVID-19 outbreak”, used by the European Commission to mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic. We believe this framework can also be useful for policymakers in BiH.
The guide in local language can be downloaded here: https://bit.ly/35aWwSI
The project “European Small Business Act as a framework of SME strategies and policies in BiH – SBA in BiH” is funded by Sweden through the Embassy of Sweden in B&H.
* OECD et al. (2019). SME Policy Index: Western Balkans and Turkey 2019: Assessing the Implementation of the Small Business Act for Europe, SME Policy Index, OECD Publishing, Paris.
