The European Commission confirmed on Tuesday 5 October at the meeting of SME envoys - including national and SMEunited envoys - that it would keep the definition of SMEs for the time being, following a study published last week.
The decision was welcomed by national envoys, including SMEunited, which issued a statement the day after the meeting. During the meeting, however, the Czech envoy reportedly disputed some of the statistical data. France would have asked to set a “grace period” of 2 years during which a company can continue to remain in the SME category, even if it no longer meets the criteria.
Belgium reportedly asked for clarification on State Aid and insisted that very small enterprises (VSEs) be taken into account. Germany would have stressed the importance of taking mid-cap companies into account.
National recovery plans
During this meeting, the place of SMEs in the national recovery plans was discussed. About 15% of the European Recovery Plan budget (about €70 billion, according to SMEunited) would be earmarked for SMEs.
However, access to funding programmes remains a concern and national envoys are encouraged to work with national SME associations to ensure the widest possible coverage.
The April Communication on ‘Better Regulation’ (see EUROPE 12709/16) was welcomed by SMEunited, but it regretted that it came so late. The appointment of the European SME Envoy has still not been finalised and there is a lot of uncertainty following the appointment of Vazil Hudák (see EUROPE 12755/8).
To consult the Commission’s working document: https://bit.ly/2YnPeeO
(Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)