Print Magazine
Brussels Morning Newspaper
Thursday, February 9, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

It’s time to walk the talk on SMEs

Henna Virkkunen MEP and Jens Gieseke MEP by Henna Virkkunen MEP and Jens Gieseke MEP
24 May 2021
in Opinion
It’s time to walk the talk on SMEs
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The European Commission need to pay more attention to the businesses holding the EU together, write Jens Gieseke MEP and Henna Virkkunen MEP

Brussels (Brussels Morning) Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been immeasurably hit by the pandemic and yet it seems, that here in Brussels, owners of these small businesses remain an after-thought for most policy-makers. 

Take for example rules for businesses being contemplated, here in Brussels, commonly known as sustainable reporting standards (non-financial reporting) or the due diligence obligations. They aim to be great for the planet and for humanity, more broadly, but we cannot impose the same level of obligations on an enterprise of four employees as those for a global corporation. And yet it seems, this is the direction of travel for these EU proposals. 

Recently, the EU Commission announced that it plans to nominate Dr. Vazil Hudak as its new Small and Medium Enterprises Envoy. A good choice but a year and a half late and worse still, devoid of details. Why hasn’t the EU Commission divulged the terms of reference of his mandate?

Top priority

SMEs should be a top priority, not an afterthought and platitudes around them are becoming tiring. When we talk of SMEs, we are talking about people, families and communities. According to the website of the EU Commission itself, SMEs represent 99% of all businesses in the EU. Is this figure enough to help us understand what we’re talking about? 

This figure means that almost all enterprises in the EU are SMEs. And yet, very often here in Brussels, discussions about SMEs are done on the margins of other debates. For many EU policy-makers, SMEs is a fringe subject, almost an academic topic that tickles their interest from now and then. 

The only point of departure for any EU policy proposal, regarding enterprises, ought to be the SMEs themselves. This, for the simple reason that almost all enterprises are SMEs. If it does not, it invariably starts on the wrong foot and our citizens continue seeing the EU as out of touch.    

It is for these reasons that the EU Commission should equip the designated SME Envoy with the appropriate horizontal competencies into all relevant Directorate Generals. He should be attached to the cabinet of the President of the EU Commission.

Information

Furthermore, we expect the EU Commission to provide further information as soon as possible. Access to finance is not the only problem for SMEs. The expected bureaucratic burden coming from among other sustainable reporting standards and due diligence obligations need to be addressed from a high-level position within the legislative procedure and during the impact assessment of upcoming legislation. We need a serious approach at the highest level to improve the entrepreneurial environment for SMEs in the EU.

In December 2020, the EU Parliament endorsed the call for binding targets to reduce administrative burden in the EU and called on the EU Commission to come up with an impact assessment, on this, by June 2021. It is important for us that the new SME envoy takes this matter serious and joins us in our efforts to reduce administrative burden for our SMEs.

The European Parliament also called on the EU Commission to build on the existing SME performance review process and create an annual debate on the ‘State of the SMEs in the EU’ to be held at a European Parliament plenary sitting. We need the new SME envoy to be at the forefront of this initiative in order to make it a meaningful exercise. This would lead to concrete results in improving the entrepreneurial environment for SMEs in cooperation with the national and local organisations representing them

We need clarity about the EU Commission’s intentions. This is not about us. It is about the people, the families, the communities. For them, time is running out.

These views are those of the author and not the editorial team at Brussels Morning.

Tags: Brussels DirectMain-SliderMEP
Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn

About Us

Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

Category

  • Ambassador’s Corner
  • Belgium News
  • Brussels
  • Commission
  • Council
  • Culture and Society
  • Diplomacy
  • Economy
  • EU Institutions
  • Europe
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Features
  • Health & Fitness
  • In Depth
  • Member States
  • Middle East Eye
  • Opinion
  • Our pick
  • Parliament
  • Place de la Bourse
  • Southeast Europe
  • Sustainable Perspective
  • The American Angle
  • The Macro-Economist
  • Uncategorised
  • US Elections
  • World

More info

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Cookies Policy
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Jobs

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Brussels Bubble
    • Parliament
    • Commission
    • Council
  • Wider Europe
    • Member States
  • World
  • Business & Society
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Culture & Society
  • Policy Talks
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Southeast Europe
  • Print Magazine

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT