SMEs in the EU

News and information about the European Union's policies for small and medium-sized businesses.

EU - New Zealand agreement a further step forward for global trade — 06 July 2022, 00:03 CET

Commenting on the conclusion of the EU - New Zealand trade agreement, EuroCommerce Director General Christel Delberghe said:

EU innovation agenda boost for startups — 06 July 2022, 18:46 CET

The European Commission adopted a New European Innovation Agenda Tuesday with the aim of positioning Europe at the forefront of the new wave of deep tech innovation and start-ups.

European Employers and Trade Unions sign historic deal — 28 June 2022, 18:00 CET

European trade unions and employers will today sign a work programme, including to negotiate a legally binding agreement on 'Telework and right to disconnect'.

SMEs and the future of the rural areas — 16 June 2022, 23:01 CET

SMEunited welcomes the Long Term Vision for the EU's Rural Areas and supports the Rural Action Plan and the Rural Pact, which cover a wide range of challenges in rural areas and take into account all actors, in particular SMEs.

World Food Safety Day: EU Agri-food chain's commitment to safer food for better health — 07 June 2022, 20:58 CET

World Food Safety Day is an important way to raise awareness of the need to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks. To mark the fourth World Safety Day today, CELCAA, Copa-Cogeca, EuroCommerce, FEFAC and FoodDrinkEurope want to reiterate their strong commitment to delivering safe food to consumers in Europe and all around the globe.

VAT in the Digital Age: Single VAT ID Registration Roundtable — 02 June 2022, 22:59 CET

Ecommerce Europe and EuroCommerce jointly held a hybrid roundtable in Brussels yesterday to discuss the upcoming ‘VAT in the Digital Age’ proposal and focus on the Single VAT Registration.

REPowerEU plan: SMEs reject another change of targets — 18 May 2022, 22:58 CET

SMEunited warns against another change of renewables and energy efficiency targets, as proposed today in the REPowerEU plan. SMEs require investment stability and planning. We support further elements of the REPowerEU plan aimed at strengthening the EU's diversification of energy sources both with internal and external measures.

Vertical rules - adapted for an omnichannel future, but some uncertainty remains — 10 May 2022, 23:39 CET

The European Commission has today adopted new rules on the assessment of vertical agreements in distribution which will come into force from 1 June 2022. These rules provide a safe harbour from anti-trust rules for agreements between sup and their customers, for example, for the sale, purchase or resale of products.

EU consults on Payments Services Directive review — 10 May 2022, 23:23 CET

The European Commission launched a public consultation Tuesday to gather evidence for the revised Payment Services Directive review and to inform its work on open finance.

Future Europe: entrepreneurship and smart regulation are key — 09 May 2022, 16:32 CET

Today on "Europe day", the Conference on the Future of Europe is holding its closing event. The Conference was an important project to discuss what kind of future Europeans want and which reforms are necessary. SMEunited welcomes that citizens in their proposals paid attention to the entrepreneurial culture and business competitiveness.

Retail and wholesale fully committed to sustainable food - but need flexibility for finding best solutions — 28 April 2022, 23:54 CET

EuroCommerce Director General Christel Delberghe today welcomed the launch of a public consultation on the EU framework for sustainable food systems. She commented:

EU's IP protection 'not as effective as it could be' — 27 April 2022, 23:04 CET

The EU’s legal framework for protecting intellectual property, in particular in the EU Designs Directive and fees mechanism, is not as effective as it could be, the EU's auditors warned in a report Tuesday.

EU proposes to extend rules on industrial emissions — 05 April 2022, 22:34 CET

The European Commission presented proposals Tuesday to update the Industrial Emissions Directive, to advance progress towards 'a zero-pollution, competitive, climate-neutral economy by 2050'.

Revised EU rules on industrial emissions — 05 April 2022, 22:21 CET

The European Commission presented on 5 April proposals to update and modernise the EU's Industrial Emissions Directive, key legislation to help prevent and control pollution.

New consumer rights and product requirements pave the way for more sustainable consumption — 30 March 2022, 23:51 CET

As a part of the Circular Economy package, two proposals from the European Commission will give new rights to consumers and provide them with easier access to more sustainable and durable products.

Sustainable Products: SMEs to be enabled to play their role — 30 March 2022, 23:47 CET

In its first reaction to the new package of EU Green Deal proposals, SMEunited highlighted: SMEs should be fully involved in the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products.

Brussels looks to end fast fashion culture — 31 March 2022, 22:46 CET

The Commission set out plans Wednesday to tackle fast fashion, textile waste and the destruction of unsold textiles with a new strategy to make textiles more durable, repairable, reusable and recyclable.

Sustainable products to become the norm, says EU — 30 March 2022, 23:05 CET

Goods on the EU market would need to be more environment-friendly, circular, and energy efficient throughout their lifecycle, under proposals announced Wednesday by the European Commission.

EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles guide — 30 March 2022, 22:58 CET

The European Commission presented on 30 March a new strategy to make textiles more durable, repairable, reusable and recyclable, to tackle fast fashion, textile waste and the destruction of unsold textiles, and ensure their production takes place in full respect of social rights.

Sustainable Products Initiative guide — 30 March 2022, 22:43 CET

The European Commission presented on 30 March a package of European Green Deal proposals to make sustainable products the norm in the EU, boost circular business models and empower consumers for the green transition. The new rules would make almost all physical goods on the EU market more friendly to the environment, circular, and energy efficient throughout their whole lifecycle from the design phase through to daily use, repurposing and end-of-life.

Retail and wholesale seriously concerned at energy crisis and needs support — 24 March 2022, 22:27 CET

Retailers and wholesalers provide an essential service to consumers and business customers, and are significant users of energy in heating, refrigeration and logistics, all of which run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We ask policy makers to urgently classify the sector as high energy-consuming and thus allow companies struggling with spiralling energy prices to access state aid support:

Food security: 4 actions for policymakers — 23 March 2022, 17:51 CET

The European Commission launched today a communication on 'Safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems'. The document analyses the impact of the Ukraine crisis in the EU and globally, with proposals to address some of the challenges of price inflation for EU farmers and consumers.

Retailers and wholesalers support citizens of Ukraine — 22 March 2022, 22:41 CET

Retailers and wholesalers and their associations are providing support in various ways to the people of Ukraine following the unjustified Russian invasion.

SMEs do not recover as expected, and uncertainty is rising — 18 March 2022, 20:54 CET

The SME Business Climate Index presented today shows that the recovery of SMEs came to a hold. Last semester's results lag significantly behind expectations, and uncertainty prevailed in forecasts even before the crisis in Ukraine.

Energy and inflation - Europe needs to minimise damage to consumers — 10 March 2022, 18:42 CET

Speaking today EuroCommerce Director General Christel Delberghe welcomed the objectives of the proposed actions outlined in the Commission’s REPowerEU initiative to accelerate alternative energy sources and reduce reliance on Russian gas: