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When the leaders of
the EU’s 15 Member States met in Feira, Portugal in June 2000, they
approved what has since become the document and strategy plan of
reference for European SME policy. The European Charter for Small
Enterprises calls upon Member States and the Commission to take
action to support and encourage small enterprises. It picks up the
goals set at the European Council in Lisbon to make the EU the most
dynamic economy by 2010 and aims to “Think Small First.”
Realising that the future of the European economy
lies in great part with the wellbeing of small businesses, the
Charter sets out to stimulate entrepreneurship, to evaluate existing
measures and, if necessary, make them small-business-friendly and
begin to take into consideration the needs of small businesses
during policy-making. It purports that by Thinking Small First, EU
policy makers are in fact thinking of the EU’s economic future as a
whole.
Since it announced and approved the Charter in
2000,the Commission has undertaken various actions and has been
monitoring progress towards meeting its goals. As a result, one may
access the Report on Annual Implementation of the European Charter
for Small Enterprises for 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 as
well as the various reports on the EU’s pro-business and
entrepreneurship activities including: the Benchmarking
Enterprise Policy First results from the Scoreboard; the Bi-Annual
report on Activities in favour of SMEs and the craft sector; or the
Report on the Implementation of the Action Plan to Promote
Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness.
Included in these and other Reports are sections on start up costs
in the Member States and how they compare amongst themselves.
Interestingly, the UK ranks as one of the cheapest EU countries in
which to set up an SME; not only that, it is also one of the fastest
countries in which to do so as well, with an average of 2 weeks
needed to establish one’s business.
The
Charter's concrete goals (see inset below) have been translated into
policy actions, including SME business impact assessments of legislative
proposals (the UK started doing this in 1998 through its Regulatory
Impact Unit), an increase in online accessibility and contact for SMEs,
promotion of e-business models, etc.
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European Charter's 10 key areas
for EU support and action:
- Education and training for entrepreneurship
- Cheaper and faster start-up
- Better legislation and regulation
- Availability of skills
- Improving online access
- Getting more out of the Single Market
- Taxation and financial matters
- Strengthening the technological capacity of small enterprises
- Making use of successful e-business models and developing top-class small business support
- Developing stronger, more effective representation of small
enterprises' interests at Union and national level
You can find concrete info on what each Member State is doing in these areas
- click here.
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Chris Heaton-Harris MEP visiting AB
Produce Ltd in South Derbyshire, one of the most successful
small businesses in the East Midlands.
John Bowis MEP and James Clark of
Hook Norton Brewery discussing the threat of European
regulations on the smaller brewers
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