Brussels, 06/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 5 October, European Commission Vice-President with responsibility for the Digital Strategy Andrus Ansip and Internal Market, Industry and Business Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska met representatives from the ERT (European Round Table of Industrialists), a group formed in 1983 and bringing together the 49 largest European companies in 18 EU member states. They discussed connectivity, better radio spectrum coordination and support for start-ups, said Ansip on his Twitter account, making the point that “member states should start thinking long term, engage”.
In their talks with the ERT, Ansip and Bienkowska also discussed how to support entrepreneurship in Europe. Start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the economy and cutting red tape, harmonising rules and facilitating access to capital for small businesses are part of the Commission's digital single market strategy, unveiled on 6 May (see EUROPE 11309). Discussions also explored how to encourage investment in digital networks, especially in rural areas. The meeting was a follow-up to a previous meeting in Berlin on 1 June between German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and the ERT which focused on the objectives set by the digital single market strategy. A further meeting between the Commission and the ERT is scheduled to be held in Paris on 27 October. (Original version in French by Isabelle Lamberty)