The Ministry of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses and Tourism is, most notably, in charge of setting the policies for the development of commercial and craft businesses in Luxembourg. The small and medium sized business sector includes some 17,000 craft and commercial businesses as well as the Horeca sector (hotels, restaurants, cafés) and certain liberal professions.

The Department of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses, is involved in five main areas:

• Dedicated policy: in order to maintain employment and improve competitiveness of SMEs. With the action plan favouring SMEs, the department also possesses a policy tool allowing it to work towards a horizontal policy approach for SMEs
• Business permits: the Ministry provides business permits for professionals under its responsibility
• Financing for enterprises and aid for SMEs: the Ministry provides grants specifically tailored to the needs of trade and craft businesses and intervenes at different times in the financing of enterprises. The objective is to encourage them to maintain their competitiveness and improve their structural composition
• Trade practices (competition, advertising, sales at reduced prices, etc.)
• The Ministry ensures, among other things, the promotion of crafts and trade as well as assistance to businesses, in collaboration with the Chamber of Trades, the Chamber of Commerce, and trade and craft organisations