Europe's SME ministers prepare for Barcelona
EU Enterprise and Information Society Commissioner Erkki Liikanen will attend a meeting of the EU's SME (small and medium sized enterprises) ministers in Madrid on 23 February, as they prepare for the March European Council. The ministers will discuss the improvement of the SME environment as well as the second progress report of the European charter of small enterprises, presented by Commissioner Liikanen on 12 February. The meeting will be chaired by Spain's second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economic Affairs, Rodrigo Rato. The Spanish Presidency will present their 'new enterprise' project to the other participants, which aims to simplify the administrative labyrinths facing many SMEs. Meeting one day before the ministerial conference, representatives from Spanish SMEs will gather in Madrid to discuss three issues of major importance to them: boosting competition, funding and independent entrepreneurs. Fabio Colasanti, Director-General of the Enterprise DG, will attend the event, along with José Manuel Garcia-Margallo, vice-chairman of the European Parliament's committee on economic and monetary affairs. On 24 February, the European colloquium on family-owned businesses will give entrepreneurs from Spain and other Member States the opportunity to talk to European ministers responsible for SMEs about the issues affecting them, such as funding and the legal framework.
Kraje
Spain