SMEs in the EU

Latest news about Small and Medium-sized Enterprises policy in the European Union.

The European Commission has developed and implements a range of policy measures specifically to assist SMEs in Europe. These policies are aimed at creating the conditions in which small firms can be created and can thrive. If the EU is to achieve its goals of speeding up economic growth and creating more and better jobs, it will be SMEs which play the biggest role. In particular, SMEs are the main source of new jobs in Europe.

FACT SHEETS

General Information

• The "Small Business Act" for Europe

Funding and Innovation

• EU Funding for SMEs
• Borrowing Environment in the EU
• More Risk Capital: equity funding
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme

Support Services across Europe

 European Enterprise Network

 SOLVIT

 'Your Europe' - Business Portal

LATEST NEWS

Easier access to EU funds - guide — 08 February 2012, 23:28 CET

Since the presentation of its proposal for the next multi-annual financial framework (MFF) last June, the European Commission has proposed over 120 changes to simplify the rules governing EU funding for Small and Medium Enterprises, towns and regions, students, scientists and others. Today's communication "A simplification agenda for the 2014-2020 MFF" brings them altogether in one single document. The key question now is whether the European Parliament and the Member States are ready to make the life of EU funds' beneficiaries easier by reducing the administrative burden on them.

European Foundation — 08 February 2012, 22:35 CET

The European Commission has presented a proposal for a European Foundation Statute in order to facilitate the cross-border activities of public benefit purpose foundations and make it easier for them to support public benefit causes across the EU.

Proposal for a Regulation on the Statute for a European Foundation - guide — 08 February 2012, 22:49 CET

The European Commission has presented a proposal for a European Foundation Statute to make it easier for foundations to support public benefit causes across the EU.

Extending a Community Trade Mark outside the EU — 31 January 2012, 00:46 CET

A Community Trade Mark (CTM) application or a registered CTM can be used as the basis to extend protection internationally via an International Registration (IR). This is governed by the Madrid Protocol system, which offers CTM owners/applicants the possibility to have their trade marks protected in several countries besides the EU member states by simply filing one application directly with their own national or regional trade mark office.

EUROCHAMBRES outlines business priorities to Danish Presidency — 09 February 2012, 22:34 CET

In a meeting in Copenhagen with senior representatives of the Danish Presidency, including Pia Olsen Dyhr, Minister for Trade and Investment and Acting Minister for Health, EUROCHAMBRES' President Alessandro Barberis highlighted three specific aims that the Danish Presidency should focus on in its efforts to develop a more favourable business environment.

EU business early warning tool — 24 January 2012, 19:11 CET

This tool prepared by the European Commission offers a preventive screening of your business that might save you a lot of time and money in the future. It helps you to react to warning signals and to think about how to prevent problems in the first place.

eBSN eBusiness Solutions Guide — 24 January 2012, 19:12 CET

This web-based guide is created by the European Commission as part of the European eBusiness Support Network (eBSN). It provides a review of the eBusiness and IT solutions market and supports companies and consultants to find and select appropriate software products, solutions, and service providers.

Electronic waste: Parliament vote far from being ideal, warn SMEs — 19 January 2012, 17:59 CET

The compromise on the revision of the Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive approved by the European Parliament's plenary today (Thursday) is far from being ideal despite the attempts made to respond to the concerns of small retailers, according to UEAPME, the European craft and SME employers' organisation.

Professional qualifications: EC proposal is going too far on many aspects — 21 December 2011, 23:20 CET

Today’s proposals by the European Commission to modernise the EU system for the recognition of professional qualifications is going too far on many important aspects, according to UEAPME, the European craft and SME employers’ organisation. On the positive side, the organisation welcomed the creation of a European professional card and the increased compulsory use of online means to provide information to professionals and to citizens.

Public procurement: SMEs welcome simplification, warn about transparency — 20 December 2011, 18:30 CET

The package of measures to modernise the EU public procurement rules unveiled by the European Commission today (Tuesday) contains some remarkable proposals and improvements to facilitate the participation of SMEs to public tenders. However, the increased recourse to the so-called “negotiation” procedure will trigger risks in terms of transparency, non-discrimination and equal treatment, according to UEAPME, the European craft and SME employers’ organisation.

Financial Reporting: burden reduction for micro-entities - guide — 15 December 2011, 23:34 CET

The European Parliament has voted to approve measures to considerably simplify life for more than 5 million of the smallest companies in Europe. The measures will allow these companies to benefit from a very simple system of financial reporting, which will mean they can free up resources to invest in their businesses and deliver further growth.

European Social Entrepreneurship Funds - guide — 07 December 2011, 19:21 CET

Social businesses are companies that have a positive social impact and address social objectives as their corporate aim rather than only maximising profit. It is a growing sector in Europe, already representing 10% of all European businesses and employing over 11 million paid employees. While these businesses often receive public support, private investment via funds that invest in social entrepreneurs remains vital to their growth. However, such specialised social investment funds are rare or are not large enough. Cross-border investment in such funds is unnecessarily complicated and expensive. With today's proposal for a Regulation, the Commission lays the foundations for a strong European market for social investment funds. It introduces a new "European Social Entrepreneurship Funds" label so investors can easily identify funds that focus on investing in European social businesses. The approach is simple: once the requirements defined in the proposal are met, managers of social investment funds will be able to market their funds across the whole of Europe. To get the label, a fund will have to prove that a high percentage of investments (70% of the capital received from investors) is spent in supporting social business. Uniform rules on disclosure will ensure that investors get clear and effective information on these investments.

Venture capital for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) - guide — 07 December 2011, 19:16 CET

The EU Action Plan to improve access to finance for SMEs presents the various EU policies and measures to make access to finance easier for Europe's 23 million SMEs. It covers actions to improve the venture capital market and facilitate access to financial resources. It contains also financial products to ease access to bank lending, for an amount of at least € 20 billion allocated to SMEs from the new Multiannual Financial Framework. A new survey published today shows that difficult access to finance is among the top concerns (15%) of SMEs. Almost two-thirds (63%) of the EU SMEs who applied for a bank loan during the last six months received the whole amount they asked for. However, 11% of the applications were rejected and 17% received less than they applied for. In addition 4% declined the loan offer from the bank because they found the conditions unacceptable. So about one third of the SMEs did not get the finance they had planned for.

SMEs welcome EC plan on access to finance, call for tax reforms to boost venture capital — 07 December 2011, 13:29 CET

Tax systems main obstacle to uptake and provision of venture capital; “Basel III” implementation must not harm SME loans, warns UEAPME

New patent system favourable to SMEs — 06 December 2011, 23:58 CET

Today’s Council agreement on a unitary protection for patents and the translation system has been long awaited by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) according to EUROCHAMBRES, the European association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs - COSME - guide — 30 November 2011, 17:09 CET

Promoting access to finance and encouraging an entrepreneurial culture, including the creation of new enterprises are the core issues of the new financial support programme, tabled by the European Commission in Brussels today.

Europe’s businesses pin hopes on exports for tough 2012 — 28 November 2011, 13:27 CET

A EUROCHAMBRES survey of nearly 70,000 businesses across 25 European countries highlights export markets as the main source of optimism for 2012, a year that will otherwise be characterised by restricted investment, negligible job creation and constrained domestic sales.

SMEs broadly welcome new "Erasmus for all" programme — 24 November 2011, 13:14 CET

UEAPME, the European craft and SME employers' organisation, welcomed the "Erasmus for all" proposal by the European Commission, which suggests allocating EUR 19 billion towards promoting skills and learning mobility of young people in what will become the successor of the current Lifelong Learning Programme.

'Erasmus for All' or for some? — 24 November 2011, 00:03 CET

"Erasmus will remain for some and not for all", said Arnaldo Abruzzini, Secretary General of EUROCHAMBRES, commenting on today's proposals by the European Commission for the 2014-2020 education programme 'Erasmus for All'.

Small Business, Big World - new partnership to help SMEs seize global opportunities — 09 November 2011, 18:34 CET

European small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) should better profit from fast growing emerging markets, such as in China, India, Russia or in regions like South East Asia and Latin America. This is the key issue to overcome the crisis addressed in the European Commission communication ‘Small Business, Big World - a new partnership to help SMEs seize global opportunities’ presented today. The priority for Europe now is to overcome the crisis boosting competitiveness and growth. Major markets such as China, India, Russia and Brazil, with strong growth rates and potential represent significant opportunities for EU companies. Exports outside the EU to expanding markets could trigger new dynamism for European economy. Internationalisation is the step SMEs need to take and to seize these opportunities.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) - Promoting international activities of SME — 09 November 2011, 17:28 CET

In a globalised world, SMEs need to be able to confront an increasing competition from developed and emerging economies and to plug into the new market opportunities these countries will provide. There is a direct link between internationalization and increased SMEs performance. International activities reinforce growth, enhance competitiveness and support the long term sustainability of companies. Yet European SMEs still depend largely on their domestic markets despite the opportunities brought by the enlarged single market and by globalization at large.

Commission's strategy on internationalisation is spot on, say SMEs — 09 November 2011, 17:04 CET

UEAPME, the European craft and SME employers' organisation, warmly welcomed the "Small Business, Big World" communication released by the European Commission today (Wednesday).

C20 takes position on G20 issues — 03 November 2011, 18:49 CET

Ahead of this week’s G20 Summit in Cannes, France, a group of Chambers belonging to the C20 group* [or the C20 group] calls for a coordinated global effort intended to put the world economy back on track of strong, sustainable and balanced growth.

Corporate Social Responsibility: new definition, new agenda for action - guide — 26 October 2011, 18:08 CET

The European Commission's new strategy on corporate social responsibility (CSR), part of a package of measures on responsible business, aims to help enterprises achieve their full potential in terms of creating wealth, jobs and innovative solutions to the many challenges facing Europe's society. It sets out how enterprises can benefit from CSR as well as contributing to society as a whole by taking greater steps to meet their social responsibility.

Social Business Initiative - guide — 26 October 2011, 17:54 CET

The European Commission has adopted a Social Business Initiative action plan as part of a package of measures entitled the Responsible Business Initiative.