BRUSSELS - Turkish Industry and Trade Minister Ali Coskun said on Monday that Turkey attached great importance to development of small and medium scale enterprises (KOBIs).
Coskun informed press members about Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Ministerial Conference which will be held in Istanbul at the beginning of June in a meeting held in Brussels. Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Deputy Secretary General Herwig Schlogl also attended the meeting.
Coskun said that there were 150 million enterprises in the world and 90 percent of those enterprises was KOBIs and stressed that KOBIs were a part of globalization. He added that Turkey attached great importance to development of KOBIs.
Ali Coskun said that KOBIs' serving only for local markets would mean their isolation from global market.
Stating that ministers for KOBIs from 87 countries would attend the OECD Ministerial Conference which would be held in Istanbul, Coskun said that traditional production methods should be adjusted to current circumstances. Coskun said that bureaucratic and administrative procedures should be facilitated and public incentive systems should be renewed.
Coskun underlined that OECD countries should use common statistical methods to monitor and compare efficiency of KOBIs.
Special incentive models should be developed to use redundant entrepreneur potential.
''Undoubtedly, women entrepreneurs are heading this redundant entrepreneur potential. Socio-economic advantages of enabling participation of women in economic life under the title entrepreneur are of utmost importance,'' Coskun said.
Coskun stated that participants would draw attention to globalization process in the Istanbul Conference.
Participants would also draw attention in Istanbul meeting that KOBIs should not be a target of ''wild capitalist system'', Coskun said.
Coskun pointed out that the Istanbul Declaration expected to be adopted at the end of the conference would mean updating the approach to KOBIs.
Turkey, a founder member of OECD and a candidate European Union (EU) country, was a ''laboratory country'' for KOBIs, Coskun said.
Coskun stated that Turkey was a rising industrial power in its region.
KOBIs economic power would increase after full membership negotiations started between Turkey and the EU and this situation would speed up EU's economy, Coskun said.
Coskun stated that Turkey proposed a system called REMTECH, thinking that it could constitute an example for future projects of OECD.
That model had a flexible structure which could increase exchange of information among KOBIs and reduce costs, Coskun added.
(EÖ-BRC-AÖ) 17.05.2004