At an extraordinary general meeting on Tuesday 6 November, the European association representing craft, small and medium-sized enterprises, UEAPME, which has been renamed SMEunited, adopted a memorandum setting out ten main priorities for the future of the EU.
“SMEs need more than ever to be taken into account for the future of the European Union”, said the chair of SMEunited, Ulrike Rabmer-Koller, who reiterated that SMEs are the EU's greatest driver of social and economic progress. “Among other things (…), SMEs need an entrepreneurial society, skilled staff, finance to innovate and invest, a level playing field and a true implementation of the single market”, she stressed.
The SMEs have therefore adopted a memorandum of ten major priorities, concerning: - improving entrepreneurial environment; - social questions and the role of the social partners; - developing workers' skills; - challenges related to digitalisation; - access to finance; - environmental challenges and the rise of the circular economy; - access to funding in support of innovation; - the internalisation of SMEs' activities; - the need for fair competition; - taking greater account of SMEs in EU policy.
To this end, the SMEs call upon the Commission to take on board their point of view, for instance in the framework of consultations and impact assessments ahead of legislating and collecting data in connection with organisations representing SMEs. SMEunited also proposes the creation of a European fund to support the Europeanisation of SMEs.
Timetable and name change. The memorandum was adopted with a view to the European elections and before the various European groups and parties present their Spitzenkandidaten, a source told us. The aim is to send out a clear message to the future MEPs and, more broadly, to the institutions, hence the new name, which aims to highlight the unity of SMEs.
The memorandum can be consulted at: https://bit.ly/2PdrCUI. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)