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SME UNION 22 Rue de Pascale 1040 Bruxelles Tel : (+32) 2 233 38 38 Fax : (+32) 2 230 92 18 sme@sme-union.eu |
| Peter Jungen elected as the new SME UNION President |
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He is also Co-Chairman of the Economic and Social Policy Committee of the EPP. Peter Jungen declared: "It is to be well understood that the way out of the global economic and financial crisis will only be successfully achieved by enhancing innovation, strengthening entrepreneurship and encouraging start-ups. This is the time of entrepreneurs, Europe needs a Renaissance of entrepreneurship. Therefore, politics have to concentrate on improving framework conditions for making it easier to grow businesses and to start them, as SMEs will be part of the solution. It is also important for the entrepreneurs to actively participate in the debate regarding the Social Market Economy in Europe. We will increase our efforts for an even closer cooperation with the newly elected European Parliament particularly with the SME Circle, with the incoming European Commission, particularly with the Commissioner in charge of SMEs and with the incoming Swedish EU Council Presidency." |
| Karlheinz Kopf elected as SME UNION Co-President |
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More information on Karlheinz Kopf: He is member of the Austrian Parliament (National Council) since 1994 for the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). During his membership in the National Council he was spokesperson of the ÖVP for sports, environment and energy. In 2000 he became Secretary General of the Österreichischer Wirtschaftsbund (SME-Union Austria). The Wirtschaftsbund is the biggest political interest group for SMEs in Austria. In November 2008 he was elected as leader of the parliamentary group of the Austrian People’s Party and he currently is Vice-President of the ÖVP. Read Press Release |
| António Magalhães appointed as the representative of Portuguese organisation for SMEs |
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He has a degree in business management and in Law. He started off his professional career at Grupo Espirito Santo, where he worked in various departments (from private banking to BES Investment). Founder and Chairman of M Capital SGPS with interests in finance, real estate, agriculture and food industry. Currently is also Executive Administrator of Grupo Nelson Quintas with interests in real-estate, telecommunications, environment and industry. Recently, he has been more actively involved with the PSD party, due to the worsening of the socio-economic status of Portugal and of Europe. He is a member o the Consultiv Council of PSD Porto. Was recently appointed as the coordinator of QREN in the economic department of PSD. |
| Strong EPP will help Europe to emerge stronger from the crisis |
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Read SME UNION Press Release |
| Belgian Presidency enhance the importance of SMEs’ contribution to European economy |
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Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union |
| The priorities of the Belgian Presidency of the Council, July-December 2010 |
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The Belgian presidency will continue the work started by the Spanish presidency to ensure proper implementation of the new rules on the functioning of the Union contained in the new Treaty. For instance, the presidency will take over the setting up of a European External Action service, implementation of provisions on the citizens' initiative and introduction of the new comitology system. The EU's response to the crisis The main priority of the Belgian presidency will be to overcome the budgetary, financial, economic and socila crisis. It will concentrate on establishing consisitency between the strategy of reducing budget deficit and the agenda for growht of the EU 2020 strategy. For the latter, considerable emphasis will be placed on social issues,innovation and governance. Climate and environmental issues Belgium will endeavour to pursue a "post-Copenhagen strategy" to maintain maximum momentum in inetrnational efforts to combat climate change. It will also take action to protect biodiversity. Security, justice and internal affaires The Stockholm Programme and the action plan for implementing it are the main steps to make progress on building a European area of freedom, security and justice. The Belgian presidency of the council will work to achieve a consensus on the different measures and their implementation. EU enlargement Under the Belgian presidency, the Union will pursue the enlargement process. This will include stepping up negotiations with Croatia and Iceland. Programme of the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council The priorities of the ECOSOC during the Belgian Presidency |
| EPP - The best choice for SMEs in Europe! |
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Politics don’t create jobs, it is the entrepreneurial spirit of the people that do so. Politics create the economic, fiscal and logistic environment in which entrepreneurial initiative can prosper. This is the understanding of the role politics have to play by the European People’s Party, the largest political group in the European Parliament. Below you find the nine reasons why European businessmen will vote for the EPP for the 7 June 2009 Parliamentary Elections. 1. Less and better regulation The European People´s Party and its business organization, the SME UNION, strongly fight against bureaucratic burdens for business. The SME UNION Working Group hammered out within a few months valid and concrete measures pushing the Commission, Parliament and Member States to act. 2. Lower prices and fighting inflation As the EPP has always been in favor of the opening up of national markets, it strongly believes in the effects of free competition bringing down prizes in various areas like internet access, air travel, postal services, energy markets and telecommunication costs (e.g. roaming costs). 3. More funding on regional level EPP calls for the provision of grants and subsidies on a regional level. SMEs will contribute more from that system than from individual company grants. Programmes such as JEREMIE which provides the framework for a series of coherent financial actions to improve the financial environment for small businesses and CIP that aims to support the competitiveness of European enterprises provide better access to finance for SMEs and deliver business support services in the regions. In order to support start-ups, the SME UNION proposes a SME Guarantee Fund that works similar to the SME Guarantee facility of the European Investment Fund (EFI) and provides counter-guarantees to national and regional guarantee institutions offering guarantees to start-up companies. 4. Lower taxes and simpler tax systems trough tax competition The EPP considers tax competition not a race to the bottom, but a mean to bring the companies and people of a country on top. It has always called for tax cuts in every field. We firmly consider that the tax systems have to be reformed in such a way as to make it possible for SMEs to build up long-term equity, and not have this swallowed up by overly rigid tax systems, and to have facilitated access to capital for newcomers by doing away with discriminatory tax regimes. We aim for a simplified European tax systems in order to make it more transparent and understandable to taxpayers. 5. Open markets for an open society The EPP is the party of free market society and considers entrepreneurial freedom a fundamental principle. We therefore campaign not only for further improvements within the European Single Market but also want to ease trade and exports to third markets. Moreover, the EPP and its business organization, the SME UNION, promote the Erasmus program for Entrepreneurs. EPP and SME UNION strongly believe in a more flexible labor market and life-long learning. We must improve work force mobility and reduce all costs, including the costs on labor. 6. Better financing for SMEs The Models we consider to be most helpful for SMEs are microcredits, venture capital and mezzanine capital market as well as EIB funds available at regional level. One big success of the last year was the increase of the de-minimis-threshold from EUR 100.000 to 200.000 enabling easy, quick and unbureaucratic help for SMEs. 7. Boost entrepreneurial spirit The EPP believes that the only way of keeping an economy dynamic is to encourage more people to become self employed. We therefore strive for provision introducing entrepreneurial skills in schools and universities and abolition of any obstacles faced by people when starting up a business. 8. Support women entrepreneurs Including more women in the labor market and supporting them to develop their own businesses by providing them better access to finance and social networks is one of the EPP priorities and dealt with in EPP Women and SME Women working groups. 9. Tackling the energy challenges High energy prices and the ambitious EU targets on CO2 reduction, renewable and cleaner energy as well as energy efficiency goals are especially affecting small and medium sized entrepreneurs. Nevertheless, especially for SMEs, immense business opportunities could open up in these new markets. The EPP helps to translate the challenges into opportunities that the transition to a ‘low carbon economy’ could offer. The SME UNION welcomed and lobbied for environment-related State aids which will support especially small and medium sized companies for their investments. The SME UNION of the EPP urges the EU to set up an intelligent strategy in order to avoid de-industrialization, but to continue with de-carbonization. As regards the emission trading system a good solution would be the setting up of a best practice benchmark model giving no additional burdens to companies which use high technical environmental standards. The SME UNION as business organization of the European People's Party, already established years ago a separate internal Working Group called “SME Energy”, which deals exactly with these problems. For further information please consult: EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament Dialogue TV of the EPP |
| 2009-05-12/14, Prague, SME UNION Conference and Presidency during SME Week in Prague |
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| SME UNION looks back at successful 2008 |
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“With elections in the European Parliament in June, within our organization and at the European People’s Party, we will face new challenges coming up next year. Following our Topic of the Year 2009 ´Creative SMEs as key driver for innovation and growth´, we will join forces yet again with our task force in the European Parliament, the SME Circle, to lobby for the best legal framework conditions for European SMEs” expressed Christoph Leitl. Yes we could – thanks to French Presidency President Leitl addressed his congratulations for the most diligent and important work that the French EU Council Presidency has realized during the past 6 months is extended by the SME UNION. During this time, the European Union has had to face many obstacles that threaten Europe’s security and stability. “Their leadership and strong willingness in showing that Europe is strong and that it can overcome any obstacle showed us that it was possible and that it only depends on us to climb up the mountain. European citizens were able to trust in the EU and the EU leaders again” underlined the SME UNION President. The SME UNION entertains excellent relations with our members of UMP France. In a matter of facts, our friends of the SME Union France, represented by President Jean Marie Virepinte, by Secretary General Patrick Moulin and MEP Alain Lamassoure, were once again crucial partners to our work and to our fight for a SME friendly environment. “Thus, so much of what we do depends on developing constructive and valuable personal relationships – with our members, the Members of the European Parliament, the members of the business community, with European institutions and media who we thank for all their support in 2008” concluded SME UNION President Christoph Leitl. Leitl on SME UNION Successes 2008 |
| SME UNION meets President Gul and PM Erdogan |
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| Annual SME UNION Topic of the Year Conference and Political Entrepreneurship Awards 2008 |
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| SME UNION General Assembley in Vienna |
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9 Good Reasons for 2009. |
| SME UNION President Leitl and EU Commissioner Verheugen agree on concrete proposals to address concerns of SMEs in three months, not in three years |
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More information |
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