Government and its agencies have a fundamental lead role to play in providing an environment favourable to business operations and conducive to private investment. This is especially true for small business. In order to flourish and grow they need an environment that facilitates and enables business start-ups, does not hamper them with excessive and costly regulations, and facilitates access to finance and business services.

In 2002, the OECD and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) launched the Enterprise Policy Performance Assessments (EPPAs) in the framework of the Investment Compact for South East Europe (SEE) Programme. The EPPAs consist of a series of reports covering all countries of South East Europe They assess the quality of government policy for the Small and Medium Enterprise sector, and regularly monitor its implementation. The 2004 edition of the EPPAs has been prepared by the OECD and the EBRD in close consultation with the European Commission. Synergies have been created between the EPPA and the European Union Charter for Small Business, covering seven policy dimensions:

• institutional framework;
• regulatory environment;
• tax policy;
• access to finance;
• advisory services;
• business incubators; and,
• entrepreneurship, vocational training and access to technology.

 This Enterprise Policy Performance Assessment report is presented as an independent and constructive contribution to the debate on enterprise policy in Romania, bringing forward the views of the small business sector and providing a set of priority actions and policy recommendations to the government and the small business community.