Regional Policy and Barriers to Access to EU Funds for the SME Sector in 2007–2013

The main goal of this article is to present an analysis of the implemented actions supporting the increase of competitiveness of the SME sector within the framework of regional development policy in 2007–2013, with particular emphasis on barriers in access to EU funds by this sector of the economy. The described barriers have been identifi ed on the basis of the interviews carriedout. The obtained results confirm the most frequent opinions about problems with access to EU funds that entrepreneurs have, such as: poor information about application rules and procedures, too extensive bureaucracy and unclear guidelines regarding, among others, eligibility of expenditure.