12/06/2017 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 8 June, the European Commission announced the launch of an initial impact study with a view to publishing recommendations on the definition of SMEs during the first quarter of 2019. The most recent recommendations were published in 2003 (2003/361/EC recommendations). The Commission wants to: - revise the financial thresholds for defining SMEs, which have remained unchanged since 2003 despite an inflation rate of 26.75% between 2003 and 2016; improve legal certainty based on the definition of business independence (Article 6), following two European Court of Justice rulings in September 2016; - prevent major companies setting up corporate structures that benefit from support that is normally supposed to go to SMEs. (PH)