European Policy for SMEs

Information visit – Confidustria/Piccola IndustriaBrussels – 30 June 2016

Kristin Schreiber , Director COSME ProgrammeDG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

European Commission SME Policy

• Policy development: Small Business Act for Europe (SBA)

• SME dimension in Commission initiatives (Single Market Strategy, Better regulation)

• SME access to funding programmes (COSME, Horizon 2020)

The “Small Business Act”

• Main objective: create a better business environment for SMEs based on the “Think Small First” principle

• 10 principles to be implemented at European and national level

• Governance and monitoring

The 10 SBA principles

1. Support entrepreneurship

2. Give a 2nd chance (failure)

3. “Think Small First” (reduce burdens)

4. Public administration responsive to SME needs (e-government)

5. Improve access to public procurement & use of state aid

6. Facilitate access to finance

7. Benefit from Single Market opportunities

8. Access to skills and innovation

9. Eco-innovation/environment opportunities

10. Access to external markets

Governance:the network of the SME Envoys

• European level: the EU SME Envoy (upgraded) listens to SMEs and their representatives

• National level: EU Member States have appointed their national SME Envoys

• The national SME Envoys together with the EU SME Envoy form the SME Envoys Network

Governance:SMEs representatives

• EU SMEs will have their say with the SME Assembly: representatives of small businesses from all over the 28 Member States will gather yearly

• European SMEs associations attend the meetings of the Network of the SME Envoys

Monitoring SBA implementationSME Performance Review

• The SPR is a tool to monitor the SME performance and the implementation of the ten SBA principles

• It includes:

• The annual Report

• The SBA Country fact sheets (MS and some third countries, ex: Albania, Iceland, Turkey…)

• Thematic studies

Monitoring SBA implementationSME Performance Review

Italy 2015

Monitoring SBA implementationSME Performance Review

Italy 2015

• In seven out of nine SBA areas, Italy performs belo w the EU average.

• Only in the areas of skills & innovation and internationalisation its performance is in line wit h the average.

• Since the beginning of the SBA in 2008, Italy has consistently improved results in the areas of ‘responsive administration’, 'skills & innovation', and in 'single market'.

SMEs and Single Market StrategyExamples of actions

• VAT Action Plan (2016 – done 7/04/2016)

• Business insolvency (2016 – public consultation on-going)

• Facilitate use of digital technologies (2017 –external study on-going)

• Initiative on standardisation (2016 done -1/06/2016)

Single Market StrategyExamples of actions

• Modernising IPRs framework (2016/2017 – IA on-going)

• Better governance of public procurement (2017/2018 – public consultation to be launched)

• Market information tools (2016 - public consultation to be launched)

• Revision of Mutual Recognition Regulation (2017 -public consultation to be launched)

Single Market StrategyFocus on Start-ups

• Proposals for European venture capital "fund of funds" (creation and upscaling of start-ups) (2016 – call for expression of interest under preparation)

• Start-up initiative to reduce requirements and facilitate compliance (2016/2017):

• First step: public consultation to find out ways to support "potential" entrepreneurs launched on March (closing on 31/07/2016)

COSMEProgramme for the Competitiveness

of Enterprises and SMEs

• Strengthening the competitiveness and sustainability of European enterprises

• Encouraging entrepreneurship and promoting SMEs

• Main target audience: SMEs, Entrepreneurs, Business Support Organisations, regional and national Administrations

• Foreseen budget: € 2.3 billion from 2014 to 2020

ACCESS TO FINANCE

ACCESS TO MARKETS

FRAMEWORK

CONDITIONS

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

COSME specific objectives

Min 60% ~11,5%

~21,5% ~2,5%

• Loan Guarantee Facility (LGF): guarantees for loans to SMEs and Securisation of SME debtfinance portfolios

• Equity Facility for SMEs Growth (EFG): growth-stage VC

See http://access2eufinance.ec.europa.eu

Improving access to finance: financial instruments

COSME LGF:Signed agreements

*Total 9 agreements - EIF signed 2 agreements with K fW. Marche Piemonte Confidi Umbrella consists of 6 agre ements

Austria

Belgium

Bulgaria

Czech Rep.

Denmark

France

AWS

SOWALFIN, PMV

CIBANK

CMZRB, Komercni Banka, Equa Bank

Vaeksfonden

Kredex, Swedbank, Swedbank Liising

France Active Garantie, SOCAMA, SIAGI, GE Capital Equipement Finance, FranFinance

Germany

Hungary

LfA, KfW*, Buergschaftsbanken

K&H

Italy

Montenegro

Netherlands

Poland

Romania

Slovenia

Spain

UK

BdM - MCC - Fondo di Garanzia, CdP-SACE,Credito Emiliano, Marche Piemonte Confidi Umbrella*

CKB

Qredits

BGK, Raiffeisen Leasing, IdeaBank

Libra Internet Bank

SEF

Microbank, CERSA

EZBOB, iwoca

Latvia

Lithuania

Slovakia

Swedbank, Swedbank Lizings

Swedbank, Swedbank Lizingas

CSOB

Estonia

20 countries where agreements have been signed

3 additional countries where transactions have been approved

As of 10/6/2016:

1 additional country where applications have been received

Status of implementation – COSME EFG31/12/2015

As of 31.05.2016, agreements signed with

� Set Fund II (Cleantech)http://www.setventures.com/

� Panakés Fund I (Medtech)

http://www.panakes.it/

� CapHorn 2 (ICT)

http://www.caphorninvest.fr/en

� EMH Digital Growth Fund (ICT)

http://emh.com/

� Diorama Investments (Generalist)

http://www.decainvestments.eu/

� Standout Capital (ICT)

http://www.standoutcapital.com/

Financial instruments in Italy(Financial data at 31/12/2015)

• Previous programme - CIPMore than EUR 5 billion of guaranteed loans to ca. 60.000 Italian SMEs (ca. 25% of total amount committed) and 5 agreements with Italian VC funds

• Current programme – COSME9 agreements signed with financial intermediaries under the COSME Loan Guarantee Facility and 1 agreement with an Italian fund under the COSME Equity Facility for GrowthFirst results: around EUR 230 million to around 6.800 Italian SMEs (ca 18% of total amount committed)

•

Internationalization of SMEsThe Enterprise Europe network

� EEN now in more than 63 countries – 625organisations

� Objective: facilitate business cooperation -technology transfer - R&D partnership (increasedunder "Horizon 2020")

� Rationale: increase cost-effectiveness; deliverservices at SMEs doorstep and open-up externalmarkets for SMEs

� Principles: Internationalise through clusters &networks; complementarity & additionality;sustainability; efficiency

� Geographical priorities: economic potential & sizeof market; difficult markets for SMEs; gaps inbusiness support

More information: http://een.ec.europa.eu/

The Enterprise Europe networkItaly

• ALPS* – Piemonte, Liguria, Valle d'Aosta

• B.R.I.D.G.€conomies* – Campania, Abruzzo, Molise, Puglia, Basilicata, Sicilia, Calabria

• ELSE* – Lazio, Sardegna

• FRIEND EUROPE – Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia

• SIMPLER* – Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna

• SME2EU* – Toscana, Marche, Umbria

*Confidustria member of the consortium

Where to find information

• SBA and SBA Reviewhttp://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/business-friendly-environment/small-business-

act/index_en.htm

• SME Performance Reviewhttp://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/business-friendly-environment/performance-

review/index_en.htm

Public consultation under the Start-up Initiativehttp://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-

databases/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=8723

• COSME programmehttp://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/cosme/