The general objective of the Programme PME II was to improve the competitiveness of Algerian SMEs, in order to help them win back the internal market and expand to the international market so as to benefit from the opportunities offered by the international agreements and by the market opening.
The specific objectives of the Programme aimed at:
Strengthening the “acquis” from previous – or current – programmes for enterprises already engaged in the process of upgrading, disseminating the good practices to the rest of the sector and fostering synergy within the whole sector.
Putting in place a “quality – standardization” approach for SMEs of certain pilot industries by supporting the concerned institutions.
Assisting in the development of support services to SMEs by aiding creation or strengthening appropriate technical centres and professional trade associations.
Supporting institutions and programmes involved in the upgrade of the SMEs.

The particular objectives of the Evaluation consisted, on the one hand
(1), in assessing, globally and independently, the results of the project/programme, stressing out more particularly the impact of the different actions carried out compared to the set-out objectives and, on the other hand
(2), in drawing the main lessons from the intervention and formulating practical recommendations regarding its follow-up.