http://www.eubusiness.com <p><strong>Latest news about Small and Medium-sized Enterprises policy in the European Union.</strong></p><p><img src="../office-meeting.jpg" class="image-right" alt="small business graphic" height="128" width="128" hspace="10" vspace="5" />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.</p><p><strong>FACT SHEETS</strong></p><p><strong>General Information</strong></p><ul><li><a href="/SMEs/sba/ ">The "Small Business Act" for Europe</a></li></ul><p><strong>Funding and Innovation</strong></p><ul><li><a href="/SMEs/funding/ "> EU Funding for SMEs</a></li><li><a href="../borrow">Borrowing Environment in the EU</a></li><li><a href="../equity">More Risk Capital: equity funding</a></li><li><a href="../cip"> Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme</a></li></ul><p><strong>Support Services across Europe</strong></p><p><a href="http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise-europe-network">&nbsp;European Enterprise Network</a></p><p><a href="http://ec.europa.eu/solvit/site/index_en.htm">&nbsp;SOLVIT</a></p><p><a href="http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope/business/index_en.htm">&nbsp;'Your Europe' - Business Portal</a></p><hr /> <h2>LATEST NEWS</h2> daily 1 2007-01-02T13:25:17Z http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/sme/funds-access 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. No publisher eub2 SMEs Finance 2012-02-08T22:28:16Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/single-market/eu-foundation 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. No publisher eub2 Single Market SMEs Social 2012-02-08T21:35:56Z Link http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/single-market/foundation-2 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. No publisher eub2 Single Market SMEs Social 2012-02-08T21:49:13Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/eulaw/extending-ctm 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. No publisher Ina Dimireva trademark company SMEs EU Law - IP 2012-01-30T23:46:07Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/Members/EUROCHAMBRES/priorities-2 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. No publisher EUROCHAMBRES SMEs 2012-02-09T21:34:41Z Press http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/sme/early-warning-tool 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. No publisher inadim SMEs business 2012-01-24T18:11:15Z Link http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/sme/eBSN 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. No publisher inadim SMEs IT business 2012-01-24T18:12:29Z Link http://www.eubusiness.com/Members/UEAPME/waste-12 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. No publisher UEAPME Environment SMEs 2012-01-19T16:59:27Z Press http://www.eubusiness.com/Members/UEAPME/qualifications-1 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. No publisher UEAPME Training SMEs 2011-12-21T22:20:41Z Press http://www.eubusiness.com/Members/UEAPME/procurement-4 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. No publisher UEAPME procurement SMEs 2011-12-20T17:30:56Z Press http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/sme/micro-entities 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. No publisher eub2 SMEs Finance 2011-12-15T22:34:22Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/social/social-business-2 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. No publisher eub2 SMEs Social 2011-12-07T18:21:55Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/finance/vc-sme 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. No publisher eub2 SMEs Finance 2011-12-07T18:16:18Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/Members/UEAPME/venture-capital-1 Tax systems main obstacle to uptake and provision of venture capital; “Basel III” implementation must not harm SME loans, warns UEAPME No publisher UEAPME SMEs Finance 2011-12-07T12:29:41Z Press http://www.eubusiness.com/Members/EUROCHAMBRES/patents-1 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. No publisher EUROCHAMBRES SMEs Research & Technology 2011-12-06T22:58:56Z Press