Brussels, 19/02/2010 (Agence Europe) - The Syrian Enterprise and Business Centre (SEBC) which came into being thanks to Euro-Syrian cooperation, and the Arab Industrial Development and Mining Organisation (AIDMO) are holding a conference in Damascus on 20-22 February, on “The Euro-Arab Conference to Support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)”. Under the aegis of Prime Minister Naji Otri and the Arab League, and partly financed by the EU, this conference will help the networking of Arab and European SMEs. European business organisations will take part in the conference alongside the EU delegate to Damascus Vassilis Bontosoglou.
The SEBC is a body devised along the European model of schemes to help SMEs, says the EU delegation. It grew as part of Euro-Syrian cooperation, initiated under the first business support scheme (launched in 1996) the positive results of which are highlighted. It is today, according to the EU delegation, the main body supporting reform of the Syrian economy and it acts virtually as an executive agency for projects to develop the private sector and to sustain Syria's shift towards a market economy. (F.B./transl.rt)