The EESC is urging the creation of a European network of special ombudsmen to help SMEs cope with the financial and funding issues they are experiencing, particularly as a result of the COVID crisis. The Committee also stresses that for SMEs to take up AI there needs to be the political will to support them…
Kristina Dimova, a 22 year-old from Bulgaria, was proclaimed a winner of this year’s SME Week Youth Essay Competition during the European Commission’s SME Assembly. Kristina was asked to answer the question: “What do SMEs need to become sustainable and resilient in the context of COVID-19 and other global challenges? Think about the competences and…
The Autumn SMEunited Barometer shows that SMEs are heavily impacted by the crisis. Especially lockdowns had a dramatic impact on many services sectors. The situation for autumn was far from going back to normal and the second wave may stop the rebound completely. The pandemic drops SME confidence to an all-time low of 54,2 points….
The latest EU SME Barometer presented shows an unprecedented drop in the Business Climate for SMEs caused by the COVID-19 crisis. This is mainly due to very negative results for the past semester, but also the expectations from the second semester are subdued. As a consequence, the SME Climate Index fell by 18.8, reaching 54.6…
COVID-19 has been a tsunami for SMEs. The EU’s proposed new SME strategy, which predates the crisis, fails to cope with the huge challenges that have since jumped to the fore, says the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in a recently adopted opinion. COVID-19 has dealt a very serious blow to SMEs across Europe,…
The EU’s European Recovery Strategy with its Recovery Fund and the adapted Multiannual Financial is a bold step, said SMEunited President Alban Maggiar in a first reaction to last week’s announcement from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He said it is a strong sign of solidarity combined with the will and the instruments…
Radu Dumitrescu, a 24 year-old from Romania, was proclaimed a winner of this year’s SME Week Youth Essay Competition during the European Commission’s SME Assembly. Radu Dumitrescu is one of the Editors-in-Chief of The New Federalist web magazine. In his speech as potential EU Commissioner for SMEs and Entrepreneurship he said: “So, what is our goal?…
Today the European Commission announced that the European Small Business Alliance (ESBA) won the contract to reinvigorate WEgate, the EC women entrepreneurship platform. Renamed WEgate 2020 – We open doors for women entrepreneurs, the portal provides women entrepreneurs with support, training and encouragement to succeed. The WEgate announcement was made during the “Women, Investment, and Access to…
