SMEs Guides

Up one level

EU Data Protection Regulation: Where do businesses need to take action now? by Jan Tibor Lelley and Tobias Grambow — last modified 01 July 2016, 00:20 CET

After a protracted negotiation and design phase, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was adopted by the European Parliament on 04/14/2016 and entered into force on 05/24/2016. After 20 years, data protection law is at a whole new level and particularly uniform for the European Union.

Overhaul for EU prospectus rules by EUbusiness — last modified 30 November 2015, 19:25 CET

The European Commission has proposed to overhaul prospectus rules to improve access to finance for companies and simplify information for investors. Small and medium-sized companies in particular will find it easier to raise funding when issuing shares or debt. Companies already listed on public markets will benefit when they want to list additional shares or issue corporate bonds.

Roadmap to a deeper and fairer Single Market by EUbusiness — last modified 29 October 2015, 13:56 CET

The European Commission presented on 28 October a roadmap to unleash the full potential of the Single Market and make it the launchpad for Europe to thrive in the global economy.

New status for single-member private limited liability companies by EUbusiness — last modified 28 May 2015, 22:08 CET

The EU presidency said on 28 May the Council has agreed on a compromise text for a draft directive aimed at creating a new status for single-member private limited liability companies.

EU trade mark reform package by EUbusiness — last modified 23 April 2015, 13:30 CET

The European Commission, European Parliament and Council reached provisional political agreement on 21 April on the EU's trade mark reform package. The agreed measures are set to make trade mark registration systems all over the EU more accessible and efficient for businesses in terms of lower costs, increased speed, more predictability and greater legal certainty. The Commission says the reform will improve conditions for businesses to innovate and to benefit from more effective trade mark protection against counterfeits, including non-authentic goods in transit through the EU's territory.

SMEs and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) - report by EUbusiness — last modified 20 April 2015, 16:45 CET

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) has significant potential for small and medium sized enterprises, according to a report released in Brussels on 20 April. It presents the results of a survey of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) carried out in 2014 on challenges they face when exporting to the United States. It also uses newly available data to look at the scale of exports by EU SMEs to the United States.

Green light for SME financing under Europe investment plan by EUbusiness — last modified 19 February 2015, 15:08 CET

Small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) across Europe should be able to benefit from the first funds from the new European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) before the summer, following a decision by the Board of Governors of the European Investment Bank (EIB) on 17 February.

EC Capital Markets Union to build a single market for capital by EUbusiness — last modified 18 February 2015, 15:10 CET

The European Commission launched on 18 February a landmark project to unlock funding for Europe’s businesses and to boost growth in the EU’s 28 Member States with the creation of a true single market for capital.

European Business Awards for the Environment 2014-2015 by EUbusiness — last modified 04 December 2014, 10:54 CET

The European Commission has announced the winners of the European Business Awards for the Environment 2014-15. The awards recognise companies that combine competitiveness with respect for the environment in five categories: management, product and services, process innovation, business and biodiversity and international business cooperation.

Smart Regulation in the EU - making EU law lighter by EUbusiness — last modified 14 October 2014, 18:24 CET

The European Commission is taking stock of its efforts to make EU law lighter, simpler and less costly. Under the title "Smart Regulation in the EU – Building on a Strong Foundation" politicians, stakeholders and experts have been examining the achievements and persisting challenges in the field of smart regulation, administrative burden reduction and better implementation of EU legislation. On this occasion, Dr Edmund Stoiber, the Chairman of the independent High Level Group on Administrative Burdens advising the Commission since 2007, will hand over the group's final report to EC President José Manuel Barroso.

SMEs Performance Review by EUbusiness — last modified 06 October 2014, 14:51 CET

In 2013, economic conditions remained challenging for SMEs in most Member States. Economic results suggest there is a recovery, but it is uneven and not yet following a robust trajectory. These are the conclusions of the annual SMEs Performance Review and country-specific SBA factsheets published on 3 October by the European Commission.

Directive on disclosure of non-financial and diversity information by EUbusiness — last modified 30 September 2014, 22:19 CET

The EU Council adopted on 29 September the Directive on disclosure of non-financial and diversity information by large companies and groups.

EU funds Open and Disruptive Innovation by EUbusiness — last modified 18 September 2014, 22:05 CET

The European Commission is committing EUR 90 million to Open and Disruptive Innovation over the next 12 months.

FIWARE makes EUR 80m available for Europe's SMEs by EUbusiness — last modified 17 September 2014, 18:25 CET

The European Commission has launched the FIWARE Accelerator Programme, enabling EUR 80 million to be awarded to SMEs, Startups and web-entrepreneurs using FIWARE Technologies. The FIWARE Accelerator is a network of European organisations which has already launched first calls for proposals earlier this month. The remaining calls were presented in Munich on 17th & 18th September on the occasion of the European Conference on Future Internet.

Industrial competitiveness - Commission reports by EUbusiness — last modified 11 September 2014, 23:10 CET

EU manufacturing possesses a number of competitive strengths that should be leveraged to promote economic growth, despite the current difficult economic environment. This is the conclusion of the two reports on industrial competitiveness released by the Commission today. However to ensure that growth does not stall, the EU and Member States urgently need to address a number of areas of concern: investment, access to finance, public administration, access to foreign markets, innovation and energy prices.

Unfair trading practices in the food supply chain by EUbusiness — last modified 15 July 2014, 22:30 CET

The European Commission adopted on 15 July a Communication encouraging EU Member States to look for ways to improve protection of small food producers and retailers against the unfair practices of their sometimes much stronger trading partners. Before a food product reaches the consumer, many different market players (producers, processors, retailers, etc.) in the supply chain add to its quality and value. Due to developments such as increased market concentration, there are very different levels of bargaining power in the relations between the players in the supply chain. Whilst differences in bargaining powers are common and legitimate in commercial relationships, these imbalances can in some cases lead to unfair trading practices (UTPs).

Green Action Plan for SMEs by EUbusiness — last modified 02 July 2014, 13:33 CET

A new Green Action Plan (GAP) for SMEs: Enabling SMEs to turn environmental challenges into business opportunities emphasises the role of green growth in ensuring a lasting economic recovery within the longer term vision of a resource-efficient and low-carbon European economy.

Interoperability as a means for modernising the public sector by EUbusiness — last modified 26 June 2014, 22:52 CET

The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a new programme that will help EU Member States to modernise their administrations and provide interoperable digital services at national and European level.

Guidelines to help EU businesses use the Cloud by EUbusiness — last modified 26 June 2014, 22:07 CET

Guidelines to help business users save money and get the most out of cloud computing services were presented to the European Commission on 26 June. Cloud computing allows individuals, businesses and the public sector to store their data and carry out data processing in remote data centres, saving on average 10-20 per cent.

EU Platform on undeclared work by EUbusiness — last modified 10 April 2014, 16:37 CET

The European Commission is proposing a new EU Platform to bring together all the various national enforcement bodies involved in the fight against undeclared work.