German GOPA Worldwide Consultants operating the SME Support Programme (SSP) a programme being implemented by the Syrian Enterprise and Business Centre (SEBC), went about honoring its team of officers and consultants working over the past 4 years  as the programme is about to close in June 2010. SSP is the first programme being implemented by SEBC and is funded by the European Union with a value of 15 million Euros and annually supported by the Syrian government.

Mr Poul Gadegaard, SSP Team Leader said that SSP represents the EU’s assistance for supporting the business sector in Syria. “SSP represents one of the best cooperation programmes between Syria and the EU as it has brought new and innovative ideas and concepts necessary for the sector to develop. SSP was able to renew the performance of the sector through the accumulation of expertise, information over the years forming a reputation today that “SEBC is a “trademark” in the map of economic activity”.

SSP aims to support SMEs as it is the main changing factor in economic development through: providing direct support to SMEs through business upgrading and export promotion, the incubation of start-ups through the SEBC-BI and capacity building of business development services of local consultants and organization representing the business sector.

The programme, through the partnership between the EU and Syria, achieved concrete results during its 4 year operation in Syria, recording drastic changes in the performance of over 3,500 local institutions and companies through the provision of technical support, consultation and information network for distribution of economic and financial information to the sector.

SEBC has recently achieved excellent results in the Monitoring Report of its implementation of SSP in its second phase which conducted by the monitoring mission sent by the European Commission. Read: Monitoring Report - 2008 of the SME Support Programme – Phase II