The EU small business act and its impact on the Malta's SME's sector

Abstract

The Economic downturn has put SME Policy on the forefront of the Commissions Agenda. The Small Business Act is a key contributor to help achieve the ambitious objectives enshrined in the Europe 2020 Strategy. Malta has been recognised by the European Commission as 'best practice' country for SME policy. The EU Small Business Act represents the European Union's commitment towards the Small Business Act. Therefore one must question 'What is the impact that the Small Business Act has had on Malta's SME Sector?' This study identifies the importance of SMEs and the principles behind the Small Business Act through a review of the small business and entrepreneurship literature and the 'Think Small First' Principle. The research takes an in-depth look at case study literature so that an appropriate case study design is identified and an adequate approach to tackle the research question is conducted. This research aims to investigate the situation of Malta's SMEs and impact the Small Business Act has had on the main policy areas; Access to Finance; Smart Regulation and Administrative Burden; and the Single Market with regards to Malta's SMEs.