EU SME policy
The “Small Business Act” for
Europe and its Review
Maria Pia Vigliarolo – DG Enterprise
and Industry – Small Business Act, SME Policies
What is an SME ?
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts-figures-analysis/sme-definition/index_en.htm
SMEs - EU’s growth engine
67.4% of private jobs
Share of private employment
SME employment share
33%
0%
29%
17%
21%
Micro
Small
Medium
Large
EL
PT
IT
ES
EE
LV
BG
LT
HU
PL
NO
CZ
IE
NL
BE
AT
DK
SI
SE
DE
FR
RO
FI
SK
UK
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
SMEs - EU’s growth engine
58% of total business turnover
90
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SMEs
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Difficulties faced by SMEs
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Business and regulatory environment
Access to finance
Availability of skills
Access to markets
Access to research and innovation
Networking among companies
EU’s SME Policy
Competition
policy
Internal
Market
R&D
Trade
policy
SME Policy
Regional
policy
Social
Policy
Education
Policy
Consumer & health
protection policies
Fiscal
policy
Environmental
Policy
Working tools
• Cooperation and partnership with the Member
States (exchange of good practices)
• Regular dialogue and consultation with SMEs
and SME business organisations (SME Envoy)
• Cooperation with Commission to implement the
“Think Small First” principle
Working tools
• Policy development: Small Business Act
for Europe (SBA) and SBA Review
• EU Support Programmes, including
• Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP)
• SME dimension in other programmes (FP7, structural
funds)
The “Small Business Act”
 Adopted in June 2008
 Main objective: create a common framework for
SME initiatives and implement the “Think Small
First” principle
 10 principles and a set of policy actions to
implement them
 About 90 policy initiatives and 5 legislative acts
(national and European level)
The 10 SBA principles
1.
2.
3.
4.
Support entrepreneurship
Give a 2nd chance (failure)
“Think Small First” (reduce burdens)
Public administration responsive to SME needs (egovernment)
5. Improve access to public procurement & use of state aid
6. Facilitate access to finance
7. Benefit from Single Market opportunities
8. Access to skills and innovation
9. Eco-innovation/environment opportunities
10. Access to external markets
Why a Review of the SBA?
• Good progress since the adoption of the SBA but:
• Need to continue improving SME business
environment and to focus on new challenges
(crisis)
• Need for stronger governance to ensure the
implementation of the SBA at European and
national level
The SBA Review (2011)
• Three priority areas:
• smart regulation
• access to finance
• access to markets
• Entrepreneurship
• Enhanced governance
• 48 new actions
Enhanced governance:
the network of the SME Envoys
• European level: the EU SME Envoy listens
to SMEs and their representatives and act
as internal “watchdog” for EU policy
making.
• National level: Member States have
appointed their national SME Envoys
(regional Envoys can be nominated)
Enhanced governance:
give SMEs a greater role
• SMEs will have their say with the SME
Assembly: representatives of small
businesses from all over the 27 Member
States will gather yearly
• European SMEs representatives are part
of the Network of the SME Envoys
What do we propose in the Review?
Smart regulation
Better start-up conditions
Goal: start a business in 3 days for €100
What do we propose in the Review?
Smart regulation
Simplification of administrative rules
•SME Test for all proposals for new
legislation (minimise burden for microcompanies)
•Only once principle – no need to resubmit
documents that are already with
administration
What do we propose in the Review?
Better and easier access to capital
• SME access to capital – guarantees and venture
capital
• Simplify rules for greater access of SMEs to EU
funds
• Greater and easier access for SMEs to internet data
on financing opportunities and in their own
language
What do we propose in the Review?
Better and easier access to markets
• Facing unfair commercial practice
Improve access to public procurement for
SMEs: Code of good practices
• A new strategy for EU SMEs going
international
What do we propose in the Review?
Promoting entrepreneurship
• Mentoring schemes for women
entrepreneurs
• Promote second chance
• Best practices in business transfer
COSME
Programme for the Competitiveness
of Enterprises and SMEs
Strengthening the competitiveness and sustainability of
European enterprises
Encouraging entrepreneurship and promoting SMEs
Main target audience: SMEs, Entrepreneurs, Business
Support Organisations, regional and national
Administrations
Foreseen budget: € 2.5 billion from 2014 to 2020
Specific actions to improve access to finance
• Equity Facility for Growth
• Loan Guarantee Facility
Specific actions to improve access to markets
• Enterprise Europe Network
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600 business support organisations in 50 countries
information and qualified services for SMEs at their
doorstep, including information on access to EU
funding programmes
help in finding international business partners
making full use of EU-wide business support,
technology transfer services
engaging European SMEs in shaping EU legislation
Supporting SME activities outside the EU
•
90 % of world growth outside Europe by 2012 (OECD)
•
Only 13 % of EU SMEs now active outside EU
• European added value consists in:
• Providing better overview, more coherence, visibility /
transparency : we are already starting a « mapping » exercise
and the creation of a dedicated portal
• Promoting clusters and networks for SME internationalisation
Complementarity: avoiding duplication with measures already
taken by MS
Specific actions to improve framework conditions
• Horizontal approach: affecting all sectors,
including manufacturing and services
• Implementation of the “Think Small
First Principle” and the “Small
Business Act”
• Adjustment to a low-carbon, climateresilient, energy and resource efficient
economy
• Promoting smart use of new technologies
and the integration of SME in global
industrial value chains
Specific actions to promote entrepreneurship
European Enterprise Promotion
Awards
Erasmus for entrepreneurs
Female entrepreneurship
(ambassadors and mentoring
schemes)
European SME week
Transfer of enterprises
Next steps
Ongoing:
Parliament and Council negotiations on the
basis of the Commission proposal
Ongoing:
Parliament and Council negotiations on EU
budget 2014-2020 (including overall budget
for COSME)
Mid 2013:
Adoption of legislative acts by Parliament
and Council on COSME
1/1/2014:
start of COSME
Where to find information
• SBA and SBA Review
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/small-business-act/index_en.htm
• European Small Business Portal
http://ec.europa.eu/small-business/index_en.htm
• SME Performance Review
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts-figures-analysis/performance-review/index_en.htm