The G8 Countries (Japan, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, U.K, USA and Russia) with the support and coordination of the European Union are undertaking one of the most relevant projects for the Global Electronic Commerce called "A Global Marketplace for SMEs", which is made up of three main activities: Global Information Network for SMEs, SME Requirements (Legal, Institutional and Technical), and International Test-Beds for Pilot Experiences on Electronic Commerce. The European Union has defined this activity as a priority and has established several schemes to approach European SMEs, National Goverments and the main international organizations as regards tools and policies of Global Electronic Commerce. The most relevant and successful initiatives of this group are: ESPRIT, RACE, TEDIS, SIMAP programs, and the Coordination of the G8 project on the development of a Global Marketplace for SMEs.
The United States of America have been working for various years on a profound promotion policy for SMEs and the Administration to use electronic means of information for business management and business administration relationships. Some of the most relevant projects are Federal Electronic Commerce Acquisition, Federal Electronic Commerce Program, Federal Electronic Data Interchange and CommeceNet.
The rapid growth of Internet business has caught many firms by surprise. SMEs, especially, are suffering from a lack of qualified employees, knowledge and appropriate skills to properly integrate networking techniques into their business functions.