Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-05-22-Speech-2-009-000"
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"en.20120522.4.2-009-000"2
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"Mr President, I welcome the fact that this Parliament is focusing on the issue of small and medium-sized enterprises. Given the current difficult economic climate, it is all the more important that SMEs, which are the principal contributors to our economies, are provided with a climate in which they can flourish and grow.
You have chosen to focus this debate on two specific issues: that of access by SMEs to Structural Funds and that of the definition of SMEs. Both of these have been the subject recently of oral questions to the Commission. In fact, it is correct to address the Commission on both these issues and I am sure that the Commissioner will be able to respond in more detail to the particular points which I know are of concern to this Parliament, to the Commission and, of course, to the Council.
As far as the Presidency is concerned, I would like to share with you a number of points which are important to the Council. Firstly, SMEs are the backbone of our economy. They are the drivers of wealth creation and of our ability to adjust flexibly to changes in demand, and are a major source of employment. That is why SMEs have been at the heart of the Europe 2020 strategy. At a time when more than 25 million people are unemployed, we need the SMEs to generate jobs, especially for young people.
SMEs draw valuable support from the Structural Funds. Indeed, over the period 2007 to 2014, SMEs will have benefited from these funds to a total of EUR 70 billion. This financial support helps strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs.
During the credit crunch, ensuring that SMEs have access to adequate finance has become even more important. For this reason, a number of schemes guaranteeing loans to SMEs have been extended, and there are several new initiatives designed to provide SMEs with interest-rate subsidies and to increase the credit ring-fenced for SMEs.
Financial instruments constitute a rapidly growing and effective form of support for SMEs from the Structural Funds. They complement grant financing and are more sustainable because the money can be recycled and used again in the future. Venture capital and loan funds are also indispensable for SMEs. In addition, SMEs benefit from financing through the European Investment Bank, which provides loans at advantageous rates. These constitute valuable financing mechanisms offering a flexible approach that is an alternative to either grants or loans from commercial banks.
A further valuable source of funding comes from the various initiatives set up jointly by the Commission and the EIB. The financial instruments known as JEREMIE, JESSICA and JASMINE are designed to improve SMEs’ access to finance by providing equity, loans and guarantees.
On the matter of the definition of SMEs, I am aware that the Commission is preparing a survey to assess Member States’ opinions on the current definition and whether it could be beneficial to change it. In the Council, we have not yet had an opportunity to discuss this issue and we are looking forward to receiving the Commission’s survey. That said, it is important to note that the current definition means that 95% of all companies in Europe are SMEs. It therefore seems natural that we have a thorough discussion and a proper analysis on a possible change of the definition, and we also look forward to hearing the opinion of Parliament and discussing this issue with it.
Mr President, honourable Members, Commissioner, the focus of your interest this morning is the issue of access to finance by SMEs – and rightly so, given the current economic climate. I would like to close by emphasising that, while access to finance is, of course, extremely important, SMEs also need a favourable business environment in which to be able to develop. The Small Business Act, adopted in 2008, has been key in helping SMEs, through the creation of a comprehensive policy framework. In conjunction with this, many Member States have taken steps to help SMEs – for example, through the establishment of ‘one-stop shops’ for people starting up businesses – but we must all remain particularly vigilant so that we continue to provide SMEs with a proper environment in which to grow, and so that we simplify the business environment and reduce the burden of red tape on all businesses."@en1
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