In a report published on Tuesday 17 May, the European Court of Auditors criticised the measures put in place by the European Commission to remove barriers to the internationalisation of European SMEs.
The Court notes the good analysis and intentions of the European Commission presented in its 2011 strategy to help SMEs to be more active in international markets and to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills. However, “the Commission should make the information on SME internationalisation support more readily available and bring its programmes closer to European SMEs, which are still not aware of many of the existing instruments and projects”.
The auditors state that the institution has not updated the inventory of measures on its website. In general, they note a lack of coherence in the EU’s many activities in the field. The lack of financial sustainability of aid programmes is also a problem for them, as some programmes have been discontinued, “despite positive results”. This criticism is directed in particular at the Startup Europe initiative.
Information on free trade agreements is still too difficult for SMEs to understand, according to the report. The same applies to the Enterprise Europe Network, which needs to be improved both in terms of its visibility and its presence in third countries, particularly in China.
The Court says it will soon publish a report on EU support for SME competitiveness. The stakes are high, say the auditors: the EU has 20 million SMEs, employing 100 million people.
In the context of the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework, the EU had earmarked €850 million, of which €450 million was for the Enterprise Europe Network and €30 million for the Startup Europe initiative. These measures were complemented by the European Structural and Investment Funds and the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme.
To access the report: https://aeur.eu/f/1og (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)