The Small Business Act for Europe (SBA) is an overarching framework for the EU policy on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). It aims at improving the approach to entrepreneurship in Europe, simplify the regulatory and policy environment for SMEs, and remove the remaining barriers to their development.

The main priorities of the SBA are:

• Promoting entrepreneurship;
• Less regulatory burden;
• Access to finance;
• Access to market and internationalisation.

To support and feed the above key enabling factors, the SBA have established 10 principles:

1. Education and training for entrepreneurship;
2. Efficient bankruptcy procedures and second chance for entrepreneurs;
3. Institutional and regulatory framework for SME policy making;
4. Operational environment for business creation;
5. Support services for SMEs and public procurement;
6. Access to finance for SMEs;
7. Supporting SMEs to benefit from Euro-Mediterranean networks and partnerships;
8. Enterprise skills and innovation;
9. SMEs in a green economy;
10. Internationalisation of SMEs.

While focusing mainly on three topics as SBA Governance, Access to finance and Women Entrepreneurship, EBESM has clear interlinks with other SBA principles. The project activities in fact envelop also other themes including among others Green Economy, Innovation, Education and Training for Entrepreneurship, Efficient bankruptcy procedures and second chance for entrepreneurs, Internationalisation of SMEs.