16 Amendments of Paul MURPHY related to 2012/2114(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas lack of finance, alongside weak entrepreneurial spirit (only 45 % of EU citizens wish to be self-employed compared to, for example, 55 % in the US), remains one of the main challenges to EU enterprises' competitiveness and entrepreneurship, and persistent regulatory fragmentation and red tape continue to remains one of the main challenges to EU small and micro sized enterprises' which limits SMEs' capacity to adapt to an energy- and resource-efficient economy and expand to markets beyond their home country, both within the single market and worldwide;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas the most recent economic data from the BRICs countries indicate a slowdown in the growth of their economies;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Urges the Commission, and where appropriate the Member States, to foster the participation of SMEs, and where relevant microenterprises, in the global markets by implementing appropriate measures for their internationalisation, including easier access to capital and regularly updated information on business opportunities abroad, as well as efficient TDIs aimed at ensuring their rightful protection against unfair dumping and subsidies and safeguarding lawful production in the EU and EU businesses' market share in third countries; while ensuring that human, labour and social rights and the environment are protected in third countries;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Notes that SMEs are facing difficulties primarily as a result of the decline in domestic demand due to the economic crisis and exacerbated by the implementation of austerity policies
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Notes that the majority of SMEs in the EU are dependent on domestic markets, while recognising the potential for some SMEs to internationalise, asserts that internationalisation is not a means to end the crisis being faced by SMEs, considers the ending of austerity policies and the redevelopment of the economy through public investment programmes as a more effective assistance for the majority of SMEs;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers it essential for the EU's competitiveness and growth to create a network, to be part of a digital platform, bringing together national SME helpdesks, chambers of commerce, Export Credit Agencies (ECAs), business associations and the Commission, in order to provide enterprises in the EU, especially exporters and importers, with precise, timely and reader-friendly information on a one-stop- shop basis, so that they can fully benefit from the Union's new common commercial policy;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that recurrent difficulties in accessing capital are one of the key reasons preventing SMEs' internationalisation; calls on the national governments to support SMEs by means of export insurance and making credit available to them from Member States' ECAs, in doing so taking measures to ensure ECAs are only provided for projects that comply with environmental and labour standards and also to earmark sufficient funding for SMEs (e.g. special loans, cofinancing and venture capital), so as to help overcome disinvestment and deleveraging by banks; stresses that such funding should be provided to SMEs that are already exporting and which can present a viable business plan for improving or consolidating their existing market share and creating jobs, especially for young people; considers that support for start-ups offering innovative goods and services and for SMEs in need of initial investment should not be overlooked;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Notes that despite the widespread nationalisation of the banking sector in many EU countries as well as the provision of capital to banks by the state, the banking sector is still being run as profit maximising bodies, in the narrow interests of shareholders and not in the interests of SMEs, homeowners or consumers that require credit; calls for the banking sector to be genuinely brought into democratic and public ownership so they will supply credit to those that require it;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers that a holistic strategy for trade finance, aimed at fostering internationalisation of SMEs, is urgently needed; believes that the EU should promote and support incentives to develop SMEs in strategic sectors in a proactive fashion, especially in the case of high- value-added manufacturing activities that offer a competitive edge over emerging economies as well as high-quality jobs for European citizens; stresses the need, therefore, to identify promising niche markets and foster their developthat wish to internationalise while at the same time protecting the small producers, SMEs, workers in third countries, protecting their industries, jobs, standard of living and environment;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recognises the need to establish, at EU level, an SME export/import facility which would disburse additional support to SMEs via ECAs;, in doing so taking measures to ensure ECAs are only provided for projects that comply with environmental and labour standards, considers that, drawing on national best practice, this additional support could involve soft and fixed- interest-rate loans, short-term work capital and refinancing, equity funding, export guarantees (e.g. an export credit guarantee to eliminate commercial and political risks of non-payment), and business insurance solutions, including an export credit insurance to prevent exchange rate risk;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – indent 2
Paragraph 8 – indent 2
– lowering enforcement costs for lenders and raising the overall quality of financial information concerning SMEs, in order to enhance their creditworthiness in the eyes of the lenders;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls for increased public-private partnerships in providingrovision of seed money and venture capital to MSMEs in the EU, while sharing entrepreneurial risk; points in this regard to the positive role that both micro- finance institutions and social entrepreneurship funds can play in developing business opportunities that also have strong social, ethical and environmental goals;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls for endeavours at national and EU level to simplify the business environment for SMEs, in close consultation with EU, in close consultation with EU trade unions, environmental NGOs, health and safety experts, SMEs' associations, chambers of commerce and industry, as well as other relevant stakeholders, in support of both cutting red tapesimplifying administrational duties and internationalising SMEs;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the Commission to involve SMEs in the establishment of international standards (e.g. ISO), since changes in regulatory regimes directly impact on their profitability; insists that tackling NTBs must be regarded as a top priority on the Commission's agenda, in particular through the harmonisation of technical rules based on relevant global standardsm;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission to address these widespread and persistent issues in all multilateral and bilateral trade agreements, and especially in free trade agreements with both industrialised and emerging economies, and to ensure that in the WTO, NTBs receive, at the very least, as much attention as is currently paid to tariff elimination; insists however that addressing NTBs must avoid an adverse effect on regulatory issues that relate to health and safety requirements, labour standards and labour rights as well as respecting and maintaining the character of services as public services;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the Union to fully exploit the investment opportunities for EU MSMEs that stem from the European Neighbourhood Policy, with a special focus on crossborder investment in the countries of the Eastern and Southern Mediterranean partnerships; considers that the Commission and the EEAS should develop synergies in order to further upgrade the Union's commercial diplomacy worldwide; insists that investment opportunities in the Southern and Eastern Neighbourhood Policy must be used to contribute substantially towards fulfilling the social as well as economic aspirations of the masses of those regions and that increased funding will take place on the condition of promoting sustainable economic development, deepened regional co-operation, a decrease in unemployment and a rise in living standards for the whole population, as opposed to being a tool for the economic and political interests of big business in Europe;