SME Development The European Small Business Act Regional

SME Development The European Small Business Act Regional & Local Implementation EGTC Approval Authorities Annual Conference Budapest, 18 April 2015 Christian WEINBERGER, Senior Adviser - Entrepreneurship & SME Policy European Commission - DG Enterprise

Why are SMEs important ? Stock Exchange Listed 7. 000 100 % Large 70. 000 99, 98% Medium 250. 000 99, 7% Small 1, 600. 000 98, 7% Micro 5, 700. 000 91% OPE 13, 000 57%

SMEs play a significant role 58% of total turnover = € 14. 000 billion/a

SMEs provide employment Ø 85% of new jobs are created by SMEs

What is the SBA? + A set of politically binding principles + A package of concrete measures (legislative and non -legislative) + An implementation mechanism embedded in the EU 2020 strategy in order to 1 - Improve the overall policy approach to entrepreneurship 2 - Anchor the “Think Small First” principle in policy-making 3 - Promote SMEs’ growth

10 politically binding principles 1. Create an environment for entrepreneurs and family businesses to thrive and entrepreneurship to be rewarded 2. Ensure that honest entrepreneurs who have faced bankruptcy quickly get a second Chance 3. Design rules according to the “Think Small First” principle 4. Make public administrations responsive to SMEs’ needs 5. Facilitate SMEs’ participation in Public Procurement and better use State Aid possibilities for SMEs

10 politically binding principles (ctd. ) 6. Facilitate SMEs’ access to finance and support timely payments in commercial transactions 7. Help SMEs to benefit more from the opportunities offered by the Single Market 8. Promote the upgrading of skills in SMEs and all forms of innovation 9. Enable SMEs to turn environmental challenges into opportunities 10. Encourage and support SMEs to benefit from the growth of markets

? To enterprise Entrepreneurship refers to an individual’s ability to turn ideas into action. It includes Ø creativity, Ø innovation and Ø risk acceptance, Ø as well as the ability to plan and manage projects in order to achieve objectives. This ü supports everyone in day-to-day life at home and in society, ü makes employees more aware of the context of their work and better able to seize opportunities, ü and provides a foundation for entrepreneurs establishing a social or commercial activity (Council Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning COM(2005)548)

The SME Envoys The 28 national SME-Envoys (incl. HR) EU SME-Envoy

SBA Fact sheets

SBA Profile for Hungary

SBA Performance in Hungary

Regions play a key role in the SBA implementation Regional/local authorities are closer to SME Main Regional challenges ü creating a business environment with positive conditions ü creating tailor-made infrastructure ü innovation-orientated funding ü supporting the development of networks ü supporting lifelong learning

SME Policy Guidebook Series ü Different SME Policy topics ü Short layout of the relevant EU Policy ü Presenting a number of actions to be taken ü Potential for funding from EU Structural Funds All based on existing verified good practices

Ø Concrete recommendations & inspiration Ø Describing Example Regions Ø Listing Good Practices Ø Advising on actions to be taken Ø Listing links with the Thematic Objectives Ø Explaining the background to the regional SME Policy dimension

1) Building Entrepreneurial Mindsets and Skills in the EU 2) Using Standards to Support Growth, Competitiveness and Innovation 3) Facilitating Transfer of Business 4) The Smart Guide to Service Innovation 5) SBA Implementation at Regional Level 6) How to Use Structural Funds for SME & Entrepreneurship Policy ("Cookbook") 7) Supporting the Internationalisation of SMEs 8) Public Procurement for SMEs 9) Fostering Investments into SMEs by Business Angels

Available in different formats and languages • PDF • e. Book • Printed copy EN - FR - DE - IT - ES - EL - BG - CS - DA - ET - LV - LT - HU - NL - PT - RO - SK - SL - FI - SV - HR Download & Ordering : http: //ec. europa. eu/enterprise/policies/sme/regional-sme-policies/index_en. htm Also available in reasonable quantities for conferences

EEN - Enterprise Europe Network • EU Network offering high quality services to the benefit of SMEs • Organizing business cooperation across boarders • Help accessing EU projects and funding • Advising on EU legislation, standards and intellectual property rights • Assist SMEs in raising their innovative capacities • Support to going international • Collecting SME feedback to legislative initiatives The broadest range of tailored services for SMEs in the EU and beyond ü more than 550 regional organisations ü almost 4. 000 experienced professionals ü active in 40 European countries

Increasing the Momentum for the Future Ø SMEs as a priority in the ESIF Operational Programs Ø More regional SME Envoys and regional SBA implementation initiatives Ø Better exploitation of existing good practices Ø More focus on Entrepreneurial Mindsets

• SBA http: //ec. europa. eu/enterprise/entrepreneurship/sba_en. htm • SME Portal http: //ec. europa. eu/small-business • SME Performance Review http: //ec. europa. eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts-figuresanalysis/performance-review/ • SME Policy Good Practices Catalog http: //ec. europa. eu/enterprise/policies/sme/best-practices/index_en. htm • SME Policy Guidebooks http: //ec. europa. eu/enterprise/policies/sme/regional-smepolicies/index_en. htm Entr-sme-envoy@ec. europa. eu