Council Resolution on activities in favour of SMEs and the craft sector
The Council of Ministers of the European Union has adopted a Resolution on the coordination of Community activities in favour of small and medium-sized enterprises and the craft sector. The Resolution calls on SMEs to contribute actively to the definition of measures concerning them, and to increase their participation in Community, national and regional programmes for SMEs. Member States are invited to encourage SME involvement in such programmes, as well as to promote the development of a spirit of enterprise, particularly through reducing the administrative burden for entrepreneurs and improving the training system for young people. The Resolution calls on Member States and the Commission to coordinate measures for SMEs at the various levels, and facilitate access to these measures. The operation of the internal market should also be improved, in order to enable SMEs to exploit all the opportunities offered by it. Finally, the Commission is asked to reinforce the system for assessing the impact of new measures on SMEs, as well as to strengthen the coordination of all Community instruments and programmes in favour of SMEs.