Webinar on working with the countries of Eurasia

The webinar was moderated by Professor Alexander Surdej, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Poland under the OECD and Chairman of the round table on increasing the competitiveness of Eurasian countries, who noted in his speech the success of business development in the Republic of Belarus, outlined the process of monitoring the roadmap for business support. After a brief introductory speech, the floor was given to the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Belarus, Mr. Alexander Chervyakov.

- The role of the main driver of support in the development of the country's economy is performed by the OECD;

- The Republic of Belarus has joined the OECD regional initiative for more than 10 years;

- Development of SMEs is one of the priorities of the economy (the share of employed in SMEs is 32% of the total number of employed);

- Due to the coronavirus pandemic, micro and small businesses have suffered greatly in the country. In this regard, the Government has taken measures to support the sector: for example, reducing the tax burden.

- The European Union, together with the OECD, the EBRD and the IMF, is working to reform and improve the indexation of SMEs (Belarus showed 18%);

- Belarus adopted the strategy and decree for SME development until 2030 in 2018;

- The European Union provides assistance to Belarus in the amount of 1 million euros to ensure access to SME liquidity. 

Viktor Antti Rauhala, a political analyst at the OECD's Eurasia Division, noted that:

- The OECD has analyzed and monitored the system of SME development in Belarus, assessed and developed recommendations;

- Recommendations include promoting market rates, increasing understanding of SME needs, creating an SME Agency, and conducting a comprehensive analysis of SME development. 

Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Belarus Dmitry Yaroshevich in his report told about a special package of measures for business development until 2030 in order to improve financial stability. The Belarus SME Support Fund was established in 2019, as well as support centers and incubators (12 units). 

Expert on SME Policy Antonio Fanelli said that the Republic of Belarus is on the verge of a recession due to the pandemic. The Government needs to ensure that SMEs have access to cheap loans and create a medium-term program to promote entrepreneurship.

Oksana Paladichiuk, Head of the Business Support Infrastructure Department of the Organization for the Development of the Sector of Small and Medium Enterprises (Moldova) of the Representatives of the Governments of the Eurasian region, shared the experience of Moldova. Thus, the Country has created a Fund to provide guarantees for SMEs; a portal for interaction between representatives of government agencies and business is functioning, and women's entrepreneurship is developing. In addition, a network of 11 business incubators has been created; a support program for monitoring information services is being implemented jointly with the OECD.

For the first question, the majority of participants (79%) chose the answer «Support for market access».

For the second question, the majority of participants (73%) chose the answer «Public-private business support centers».

At the end of the webinar, Surdej noted that helping to restore and increase the stability of the economy in overcoming the crisis together is an important component.