Third European Conference of Crafts and Small Businesses - Employment through innovation
20 November 1997 - 20 November 1997
Italy
The Third European Conference of Crafts and Small Businesses will take place in Milan, Italy on 20-21 November 1997. The conference, which will address the theme "Employment through innovation", is organized by the European Commission, in collaboration, this year, with the Italian Ministry for Industry, Commerce and the Craft Sector, and the Region of Lombardy.
In recent years, the small and medium-sized business sector has shown itself to offer the greatest potential for the creation of employment in Europe. During the period from 1988 to 1995, based on a yearly average, the loss of employment in large companies has been compensated by the creation of jobs in SMEs. Businesses with less than 100 employees have contributed more than 250,000 jobs per year, while more than 200,000 jobs have been lost annually in companies with more than 100 employees.
The conference will bring together representatives of the Member States, representative organizations from the Small Business and Crafts sector (both at national and European levels), the economic players (small entrepreneurs, financial institutions and crafts men and women) and the social partners.
The aims of the event will be:
- To create a favourable environment for the development of crafts and small business;
- To create a legal and administrative framework which responds to the needs of this type of business;
- To intensify the commitment of the European Union and the Member States in favour of the crafts and small business sector;
- To intensify the dialogue between the social and professional organizations at the European level as intermediaries between the European Union, the national organizations and business, and to encourage their coming together by type of entrepreneur (young people, women, etc.).
For further information, please contact:
European Commission
DG XXIII - Enterprise policy, distributive trades, tourism and cooperatives
Mr. F. Ianniello
200 rue de la Loi
B-1049 Brussels
Fax +32-2-2954590
E-mail: Francesco.Ianniello@dg23.cec.be
For practical information/registration, please contact:
European Commission
Joint Interpreting and Conference Service
SCIC.B.1
200 rue de la Loi (RP3 5/8)
B-1049 Brussels
Tel. +32-2-2994851; Fax +32-2-2953736/2991971
In recent years, the small and medium-sized business sector has shown itself to offer the greatest potential for the creation of employment in Europe. During the period from 1988 to 1995, based on a yearly average, the loss of employment in large companies has been compensated by the creation of jobs in SMEs. Businesses with less than 100 employees have contributed more than 250,000 jobs per year, while more than 200,000 jobs have been lost annually in companies with more than 100 employees.
The conference will bring together representatives of the Member States, representative organizations from the Small Business and Crafts sector (both at national and European levels), the economic players (small entrepreneurs, financial institutions and crafts men and women) and the social partners.
The aims of the event will be:
- To create a favourable environment for the development of crafts and small business;
- To create a legal and administrative framework which responds to the needs of this type of business;
- To intensify the commitment of the European Union and the Member States in favour of the crafts and small business sector;
- To intensify the dialogue between the social and professional organizations at the European level as intermediaries between the European Union, the national organizations and business, and to encourage their coming together by type of entrepreneur (young people, women, etc.).
For further information, please contact:
European Commission
DG XXIII - Enterprise policy, distributive trades, tourism and cooperatives
Mr. F. Ianniello
200 rue de la Loi
B-1049 Brussels
Fax +32-2-2954590
E-mail: Francesco.Ianniello@dg23.cec.be
For practical information/registration, please contact:
European Commission
Joint Interpreting and Conference Service
SCIC.B.1
200 rue de la Loi (RP3 5/8)
B-1049 Brussels
Tel. +32-2-2994851; Fax +32-2-2953736/2991971