| Abstract [eng] |
Small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the European economy, and the most important creators of new jobs and economic growth, SMEs account for a large proportion of Europe’s economic and professional activity. In practice, 99% of businesses in the European Union are SMEs, and they provide two-thirds of all private-sector jobs. So small firms are, in fact, the real giants of the European economy. Small and medium-sized businesses constitute an important part of added value and provide a major share of employment in every market economy. They are a most reliable guaranty for sustainable economic development, because they are flexible, quick in reacting to new up-coming threats and on a long-term base highly effective. That is why any state authority should be highly interested in a well developed SME sector. European Union – considers there are three types of smaller enterprise: micro, small and medium-sized. Each of these have differing employee, turnover and asset thresholds. These three size groups of non-subsidiary independent businesses make up what are termed small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The preoccupations of governments in small business policy also focus heavily on finance, information, advice and training. However, government spending on SME policy heavily reflects the preoccupations with finance, information and support. Through the financial instruments it has developed and funded, the European Commission is making it easier for SMEs to get loans from banks, by providing guarantees. It is also facilitating venture capital investment in SMEs. These financial instruments are managed by the European Investment Fund (EIF) on behalf of the Commission. The local business environment has an important effect on small businesses, wherever they are located. Most SMEs focus their activities in their own region. Moreover, policies to support and reinforce economic competitiveness are increasingly decided and implemented at local and regional levels. The European Union recognises the importance of regions in this field, and has developed a number of instruments to encourage regional development, to support initiatives by regional actors, and to promote networking between different EU regions. These instruments encourage entrepreneurship, support new enterprises, and make SMEs more competitive. |
