Brussels, 14/11/2005 (Agence Europe) - Unveiling a Commission Communication on a new SME policy for growth and employment, European Industry Commissioner Gunter Verheugen said on Thursday that: “Small and medium-sized enterprises play a key role in delivering more growth and jobs in the European Union. We must help them by creating the right conditions to thrive and by promoting a culture so that more people start up their own companies.” Europe's 23 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be helped to become more competitive through the Commission's streamlining of its SME policy instruments. The Commission proposes specific actions in five areas: 1. Promoting entrepreneurship and skills, 2. Improving SMEs' access to markets, 3. Cutting red tape, 4. Improving SMEs' growth potential, including actions to strengthen the innovation and research capacity of SMEs and increasing the existing financial support to SMEs. The Commission will undertake further measures to encourage and facilitate SME participation in the 7th Framework Programme for Research and to deliver specific support to SMEs in the field of intellectual property rights (IPR), through the EU business support networks. 5. Strengthening dialogue and consultation with SME stakeholders. The Commission plans to create a quick and easy-to-use consultation mechanism (“SME panel”) via the Euro Info Centre network to get views from SMEs in specific areas of policy making (see EUROPE 9032).
In a press release, SME Union explains that the policy is good news for Europe's SMEs, welcoming 'the Commission's determination to cut red tap, eg by integrating the 'Think Small First' principle in all policies at EU level and by pushing for regulatory and administrative simplification, adding that simply listening to SME representatives won't be enough: 'Their proposals, concerns and needs will also have to be taken into account by the Commission and other European institutions more systematically than has been the case in the past. The Commission mustn't content itself to publish a policy paper. Most important of all is to make change happen.' The Eurochambres association of European chambers of commerce and industry also stresses the need for concrete action. 'In recent years, the Commission has produced a plethora of policy documents in this area but little has changed on the ground. It is important that this document becomes more than just yet another political statement,' notes Paul Shekan, Deputy Secretary General of Eurochambres. European employers association Unice commented: 'This is not the first policy document on entrepreneurship and SMEs and to date, entrepreneurs and SMEs have not really felt a difference in their daily business. To be consistent, the effect of legislation on SMEs must be envisaged throughout all Commission policies and in that context Unice strongly supports recognition that SME policy is transversal by nature and making the 'Think Small First' principle effective across all EU policies. This approach must be adopted also by the Council, the European Parliament and national governments.' The European small and medium business organisation UEAPME says the Commission's new SME policy programme must be more than just rhetoric: 'Streamlining SME policy instruments into one strategy will hopefully add some coherence to EU and national policy but, ultimately, action speaks much louder than words… There is a need for the Commission to set out concrete proposals to realise these priorities… Commissioner Verheugen wants to promote initiatives like longer transition periods for SMEs or even exemption. This misses the point… exempting small businesses from important environmental or social legislation would necessarily create a negative public impression of SMEs.'