---

Due to their increasing importance to production growth and vital relation with various productive sectors in society, small and medium enterprises SMEs have become one of the key instruments to face economic and social problems and achieve development objectives in most industrial and developing countries.Population growth and economic restructuring in many Arab countries make the creation of substantial new employment opportunities a necessity. .This paper ultimate aim is to layout some general principles of support to enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs in the Arab countries. To do so, the paper starts by identifying the General problems of the Arab economies, and then goes on to discuss definitional aspects of SMEs. After that, the study then summarizes the SMEs definition in the Arab countries and concludes the important of SMEs in the Arab countries.Then goes on to discuss the competitiveness of SMEs in the knowledge economy and then concludes by offering some recommendations to enhance the competitiveness of SMEs in the Arab countries.

---

Researcher in an international economy, holds a master´s degree in economics. Currently manager of support programs, organizational and institutional in the sector of developing exports of small and medium enterprises of the Ministry of trade and Industry of Egypt.

---