16/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - Pledges by the European Commission and the Austrian Presidency of the EU Council to increase the focus on the needs of European Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) have been given a cautious welcome by Hans-Werner Müller, Secretary General of UEAPME, the employers' organisation representing the interests of crafts, trades and SMEs from the EU and accession countries. In a press release, UEAPME stressed that without sufficient commitment in the next financial perspective (2007-2013), these pledges will ring hollow. The forthcoming budget will be the litmus test as to how serious these pledges are, said Mr Müller. UEAPME notes that the Council Financial Perspective agreement in December 2005, reduces by almost a half Community spending on competitiveness, and says that “this section of the budget includes crucial programmes for SMEs”, such as the 7th Framework Programme for R&D (FP7) and the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP). UEAPME is calling for the 1.9 billion euro allocated to SME-specific schemes under the original proposals for FP7 to be maintained, even if there is a reduction in the total budget. Within the CIP, it wants cuts to key initiatives for SMEs, such as access to finance and support for start-ups, to be resisted.