All EU Member States and 7 non-EU countries are committed to mark the 1st European SME Week. National and regional authorities, business organisations, business support providers and education institutions will brand their events under the umbrella of the Week in an effort to bring entrepreneurship in the spotlight.

In the West Balkan Countries, events will take place in various places in Croatia (click for details) and in Serbia (no details available yet).

Hundreds of events will take place throughout Europe and beyond. Events range from fairs to conferences, online events, art & performance, to networking events, company open days and competitions. Topics such as entrepreneurship, innovation, environment, growth, business support, business strategy, creative thinking, etc. will be covered. Throughout 2009, events are taking place to inform, assist and connect existing and potential entrepreneurs and also help them develop new ideas and benefit from personalised information and support.

The European SME Week is co-ordinated by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry, but most of the events and activities taking place during the SME Week are organised by business organisations, support providers, regional and local authorities, and others in the participating countries. The SME Week is one of the measures implementing the Small Business Act, the first comprehensive SME policy framework for the EU and its Member States.

The SME Week seeks to:

• Inform: provide and disseminate information on what the EU and the national authorities are offering by way of support to small businesses
• Support: create an EU-SME partnership, underlining how Europe is stronger with more competitive SMEs and also the fact that the EU is ready to offer them support and advice
• Inspire: motivate existing SMEs to broaden their outlook and further develop and grow their business
• Share: float ideas and share the experiences of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs
• Encourage: convince young people that entrepreneurship is an attractive career option

A list of national coordinators is attached.

Source and further information: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policy/entrepreneurship/sme-week/events/index_en.htm