SMEs push the Portuguese presidency

Europe’s small- and medium-sized enterprises are pushing the Portuguese presidency of the EU to heed their calls for more targeted policies.

Disappointed after the lacklustre performance of the German presidency, at least as far as SME policy was concerned, the SME lobby UEAPME set out yesterday (11 July) to encourage Portuguese Economics Minister Manuel Pinho to think small.

Red tape, energy reform, labour markets and a forthcoming review of EU SME policy were among issues raised in the meeting. Gerhard Huemer, director for economic and fiscal policy at UEAPME, said that the Portuguese government would be more likely to adopt a ‘neutral’ stance on policy.

Germany’s stance, he said, was excessively dictated by industrial giants such as Siemens and Mercedes.

Georg Toifl, UEAPME president, asked Pinho to bolster the better regulation agenda, a European Commission drive to slash red tape by a quarter by 2012. "SMEs haven’t felt any improvements so far," he said. "We would like the Portuguese presidency to start the ball rolling. Crafts and SMEs could contribute to Europe’s economic welfare more than they already do, if the conditions in which they operate are improved. Much remains to be done in this respect."

Europe’s small- and medium-sized enterprises are pushing the Portuguese presidency of the EU to heed their calls for more targeted policies.