SMEs in a green economy (Dimension 9) in the Western Balkans and Turkey

                     Enable SMEs to turn environmental challenges into opportunities (Small Business Act Principle 9)                   Policy makers are becoming increasingly concerned about how to achieve sustained economic growth without harming the environment. As SMEs often account for a large proportion of all enterprises within an economy, policy makers throughout the world are working to design policies which help them transition towards environmentally friendly and sustainable practices. Sound environmental policies should also offer environmentally innovative SMEs incentives to develop eco-friendly products or processes. The economies of the Western Balkans and Turkey have made little progress in targeting green policies at SMEs, often exhibiting a disconnection between their environment policies and SME development. The lack of information and tools on environmental issues makes it hard for SMEs to adopt environmentally friendly practices. Moreover, policy makers have limited resources to offer regulatory and financial incentives to help SMEs with the greening of their enterprises.      