EU Project on Support to Small and Medium Enterprise Shows Opportunities Brought by the Trans European Network for Transport

On 1 November 2007, the EU-funded project "SME Support Services in Priority Regions" organises a national conference called "Development of Pan-European Transport Corridors - an Opportunity for Ukrainian Regions" in Kyiv.

The purpose of this conference is to increase awareness among the policy-makers of the small and medium entrepreneurship and regional development sector of the Trans European Network (TEN) concept, and particularly of the development of Pan-European Transport Corridors, the opportunities they bring for business development and the impacts they have on regional development.

The audience of this conference will consist of representatives from the state departments of economy departments of all Oblasts of Ukraine as well as national and regional civil servants from the State Committee of Ukraine for Regulatory Policy and Entrepreneurship.

Regional awareness of the European Union’s TEN concept is very low. Transport and transport support facilities on the regional level are developed, if at all, with a look at the national transport flows and much less with a forward view into what opportunities the Pan-European Transport Corridors could provide to most regions in Ukraine.

The idea of organising this conference came up after the Project’s findings from the four regional SME sector analytical updates, which indicated the high importance of SME businesses for regional economies, especially in the transport and logistics sector. Understanding the opportunities coming from developed transport corridors will enable the regional policy-makers to facilitate more sufficient SME support on regional and local levels.

The conference "Development of Pan-European Transport Corridors - an Opportunity for Ukrainian Regions" will take place in the conference hall of the State Committee of Ukraine for Regulatory Policy and Entrpreneurship, 9/11 Arsenalna street from 10:00 to 17:00.