This early SME-support project in Ukraine improved the competitiveness of private SMEs founded after 1990.

The assistance comprised three levels:

• Policy advice to the Ukrainian government and selected Oblast administrations with the aim of ameliorating the legal framework for SMEs;
• Support and qualification of consultancy organisations in Kiev, Cherkassy and Poltava (extensive train-the-trainer programme);
• Technical assistance to SMEs of the production sector by solving individual problems.

The assistance to Ukrainian SMEs was implemented in co-operation with local consultants. More than 500 SMEs in Kiev, Cherkassy and Poltava were supported by PEM CONSULT in co-operation with its project partners. Since the jointly offered support had to be paid by the enterprises, the project partners and the Ukrainian SMEs concluded consultancy agreements after the project had investigated the situation of the enterprises and proposed a consultancy concept. More than 260 consultancy contracts with Ukrainian SMEs were signed. PEM CONSULT qualified the existing consultancy institutions to become reliable partners for SMEs and succeeded in securing the sustainability of the locally offered services for SMEs after the end of the project.