The President of Eurochambres, Vladimír Dlouhý, wrote to the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Stéphane Séjourné, on 21 March to condemn the abandonment of the appointment of an EU SME Envoy. For his organisation, such a figure is essential to prevent new regulatory burdens that are too heavy for SMEs, which make up 99% of businesses, he insists.
And he argues for “a high level, fully dedicated internal Commission advocate for SMEs, with outreach across the services and in close contact with the President, Ursula von der Leyen”.
The SME envoy in the EU, SMEunited, agrees: “Given that the EU agenda is full of existential questions, it is very important that there would be a person ensuring a clear process, involvement to guarantee that SMEs and their role is taken into account”, says SMEunited President Petri Salminen.
In response, Stéphane Séjourné’s office says it understands the advantages and added value that a representative for SMEs within the Commission could bring. “But we can assure that the EVP very much sees himself and his team as such a dedicated voice. This, together with the network of national SME Envoys – which is doing a great job – makes us nevertheless optimistic about the agenda for SMEs for this mandate.”, says the Commissioner's office.
See the Eurochambres letter: https://aeur.eu/f/g3c (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)