Improving the dynamism and potential of SMEs The European Council has published its Resolution of 10 October 1994 on giving full scope to the dynamism and innovatory potential of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including the craft sector and micro-enterprises, in a competitive economy. The Resolution's main c... The European Council has published its Resolution of 10 October 1994 on giving full scope to the dynamism and innovatory potential of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including the craft sector and micro-enterprises, in a competitive economy. The Resolution's main concern is to create a legislative and administrative environment favourable to SMEs by removing internal (particularly financial and managerial) and external (particularly legal and administrative) hurdles. It aims to intensify and improve the Community's provision of information to enterprises, to promote cooperation and partnership between SMEs, and to ensure the promotion and coordination of Community instruments. In addition, the Council calls on the Commission to: - Ensure that SMEs gain better access to the specific research programmes under the Fourth Framework Programme; - Ensure, in particular, that the specific programmes for disseminating and exploiting the results of research and promoting transfers of technology and innovation are formulated in a manner helpful to SMEs; - Provide for simplified procedures to facilitate access by SMEs to Community programmes in the field of vocational training and further training. The Resolution also calls for a Committee to be set up for improving and simplifying the environment for SMEs which would carry out consultations on legislative and administrative provisions which hamper the creation, growth and transfer of SMEs.
