This document is the outcome of a joint effort by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the EU-LAC Foundation to deepen understanding of the important role played by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in bringing about structural change and development, and of their role in innovation and in value chains. This publication was prepared in the framework of the second Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union, to be held in Brussels on 10-11 June, in the expectation that it may serve as an input for the discussions during the summit and help to identify areas in which governments and production sectors of the two regions can work together.