Memo: The 5th Implementation Report of the European Charter for Small Enterprises

The European Charter for Small Enterprises provides a structure for improving the legal and administrative framework for SMEs. It was adopted by the 15 Heads of State as a first concrete step under the Lisbon Agenda in 2000. The fifth report on Implementation of the European Charter for small Enterprises was adopted by the European Commission on 8 February 2005. It listed progress in the following fields: education for entrepreneurship, better regulation, bankruptcy law and skills shortages, especially measures to overcome the lack of skilled technicians and engineers. Since 2000, the Charter expanded from the EU-15 to 35 countries across Europe. The Charter commitments were also spreading beyond Europe with the recent signing of the Euro-Mediterranean Charter for Enterprise, involving another nine countries.