Support under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2014-2020 has not had the desired effect on the competitiveness of SMEs, despite the considerable sums committed, amounting to €40 billion over the last budgetary cycle, according to the auditors of the European Court of Auditors in a report published on Wednesday 1 June.
“EU funds stimulated SMEs’ willingness to invest, but their impact and effectiveness on competitiveness were rather limited, to the extent that most...