Fresh initiatives needed to support SMEs

Today, BusinessEurope called on strengthening EU policy for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) in Europe. In its “EU SME policy goals” memorandum, published today in Brussels, BusinessEurope called on the European Commission to take fresh initiatives aimed at 7 strategic goals, namely:

1. Let SMEs work in a modern legal and administrative environment
2. Achieve an SME-friendly Single Market
3. Help SMEs to internationalise outside the EU
4. Support SMEs in the digital transformation
5. Support SMEs in their innovation efforts
6. Improve SME access to finance
7. And enhance SME access to skills, talents and external advice.

BusinessEurope Director General Markus J. Beyrer said: “A massive job remains to be done in strengthening EU SME policy. For example, SMEs wishing to expand in Europe still face huge barriers in the Single Market, in particular in public procurement. SMEs have been busy preparing for data protection and the GDPR, but now they are faced with the European Commissions’ e-privacy proposal which, if passed in its present form, will contradict their previous preparations to protect the privacy of consumers.”

The “EU SME policy goals” were published today at BusinessEurope’s conference "What do SMEs expect from the future EU SME policy?" at the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the EU.

Please see BusinessEurope’s “EU SME policy goals” here.