Parliament calls for higher budget for entrepreneurship programme
The Parliament's committee on industry, research and energy (ITRE) has voted in favour of a one-year extension to the Commission's multiannual programme for enterprise and entrepreneurship (2001-2005), in order to bridge the gap between the existing programme and the new Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) which runs from 2007-2013. However, while agreeing that the Commission's planned extension of the programme is necessary, the report drawn up by Danish MEP Britta Thomsen and adopted by the committee argues that the currently proposed budget of 81.5 million euro is inadequate. 'It should be remembered that the multiannual programme for enterprise and entrepreneurship is THE key element in the Community's policy to promote entrepreneurship and support innovation in European SMEs [small and medium sized enterprises],' the report reads. 'Your rapporteur therefore proposes that the budget be increased to 91 million euro, which is equal to the budgeted amount for 2004.' According to Ms Thomsen, several factors justify an increase in the budget. First, it is a programme that both users and external evaluators consider to be operating smoothly and achieving its objectives. Second, it is important to maintain aid to the entrepreneurs and SMEs that form the backbone of Europe's economy. Lastly, given that evaluators have stressed that the financial instruments of the current programme meets the needs of the new Member States, restricting funds will impede the integration of those countries into the European economy. Regarding the transition to the new CIP, the ITRE committee echoes a previous evaluation report finding that 'there must be better coordination between the new programme and the Community's Structural funds and the Seventh Framework Programme [FP7] in order to achieve the necessary synergies.' Awareness of the current multiannual programme is also somewhat lacking, and the committee calls for initiatives to be taken to promote the CIP, particularly in the new Member States. Finally, the committee says that the Commission accepts that the EU is still not meeting its entrepreneurial potential, and calls for a greater emphasis on the promotion of entrepreneurship under the CIP, in particular among groups such as women, ethnic minorities and immigrants.