Commission analyses how to help SMEs
The European Commission has adopted a report on 'creating an entrepreneurial Europe - the activities of the European Union for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs)' highlighting how the EU's enterprise policies and programmes can assists SMEs. The report looks at how enterprise policies have an effect on other policies and how EU activities can assist SMEs in profiting from the new economy and assesses how policies have been adapted seen 1997. Focusing on three main areas (improvement of framework conditions for SMEs; financial instruments and; programmes in support SMEs and enlargement, pre-accession and cooperation with non-member countries), the report gives a largely positive outlook but concedes that more could be done. According to the report, efforts by Member States and the Commission are vital to help maximise SMEs competitiveness, to ensure that the goal set out at the Lisbon summit in 2000, of making Europe the most competitive knowledge-based economy in the world, is attainable. Also analysed in the report are the contributions made by European programmes and institutions such as research and development programmes, Structural funds, the European investment bank and European investment fund and training, cooperation and environment initiatives. The details of the report are seen as an important contribution to the forthcoming European Council in Stockholm on 23 and 24 March.