SMEs give Commission work experience
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are considered to be essential to the EU in its continuing drive to compete. They have few staff, little money, but will often be full of ideas, partly due to their small size - they have to strive to innovate in order to compete and get ahead. This does not just mean cutting corners, but 'thinking outside the box' in order to - simply - innovate. But, SMEs often feel sidelined in the huge machine that is the EU. 'A direct, hands-on experience within an SME is the best way for EU officials to get to grips with the way we work and the issues we face every day,' says Hans-Werner Müller, Secretary General of UEAPME, the European SME employers' association. 'Civil servants need a better awareness of our needs and conditions in order to properly and effectively address them. They are getting just that under a new scheme, Enterprise Experience. The Commission will send out 350 senior civil servants from DG Enterprise and Industry to roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty and see how SMEs are operating. In a pilot phase, seven candidates have been sent to explore the textile, steel, construction, bakery, pipeline, car parts and carpentry businesses in Germany, Austria, Italy and Poland. SMEs have been a particular target for the forthcoming Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), as they were for FP6. Already, some feedback has been published. Christian Macek swapped his shirt and tie for overalls, for a week of flour and 4am starts, mucking-in at a bakery in Aachen, Germany. The production of Butterkuchen and Bauernbrot unearthed something interesting - bureaucracy. For example, bringing together the extensive documentation to make 'Butterfett', and finding the right ways that legislation may - or may not - apply were a significant drain on the time and resources of the business. 'EU officials spending a week in a micro-business will probably find out that the everyday life there is quite different from their expectations,' continued Mr Müller. 'They will not find any 'departments', for instance, and they will quickly learn that the owner-manager has to deal with all aspects of the enterprise. As far as their role in the EC is concerned, civil servants will see for themselves how the small size of micro-businesses makes them more vulnerable to excessive, unnecessary or over-complex legislation - and we hope they take this message back to Brussels,' he said. For his part, Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry policy, is eagerly awaiting feedback. 'I am looking forward to this. Enterprise Experience will give my staff and me hands-on, on the job experience about the life in and of an SME. In return, companies will not only get highly motivated trainees to assist in their day-to-day work, but also 'EU ambassadors' who will be able to present and explain EU policies relevant to them.' Those who want to take part in the scheme must first apply, using the application form on the scheme's website (see below). Participants will normally be assigned to work in an SME outside of their home country. The SME organisations, UNICE (Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe), UEAPME and EUROCHAMBRES (Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry) will be responsible for selecting SMEs. The SMEs submit details about their business and the issues they face. The Commission sends the SME a CV of the person coming to work with them, and then the arrangements are made, and the official begins his or her work. Once over, the official must complete a report on what he or she has learned.