2018/2545(RSP) | [ParlTrack]

Recital A

A. whereas the 23 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU, which make up around 99 % of all businesses and provide more than 90 million jobs while generating some EUR 3.9 trillion in added value, make a vital contribution to economic growth, social cohesion and job creation and are key drivers in the context of the energy transition, the fight against climate change and EU competitiveness on green tech as well as a major source of innovation in the EU;

Amendment 10 #

Pirkko RUOHONEN-LERNER

Recital B

B. whereas SMEs are disproportionately affected by administrative burdens and financial obstacles by comparison with larger firms and whereas these burdens and obstacles promote the shadow economy; whereas at EU and Member State level further efforts could be made to create an simpler, SME- friendly environment which go beyond the political pledges already given;

Amendment 100 #

Caroline NAGTEGAAL, Pavel TELIČKA, Angelika MLINAR, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Kaja KALLAS, Gesine MEISSNER

Paragraph 9

9. Is concerned that, despite the considerable contribution they make to employment and growth by virtue of their productivity, MidCaps (enterprises that have outgrown the SME definition but still have typically medium-sized structures) are being neglected by policy-makers; calls, therefore, for a definition to be established for these companies based on the criteria that they are family-run, have high equity ratio and employ up to 3000 peopleNotes that MidCaps (enterprises that have outgrown the SME definition but still have typically medium-sized structures) contribute to employment and growth by virtue of their productivity and therefore deserve attention from the Member States and the European Union; considers at the same time that the definition of SMEs should devote particular attention to micro enterprises;

Amendment 101 #

Bendt BENDTSEN, Paul RÜBIG, Krišjānis KARIŅŠ, Gunnar HÖKMARK, Seán KELLY

Paragraph 9

Amendment 102 #

Paragraph 9

9. Is concerned that, despite the considerable contribution they make to employment and growth by virtue of their productivity, MidCaps (enterprises that have outgrown the SME definition but still have typically medium-sized structures) are being neglected by policy-makers; calls, therefore, for a definition to be established for these companies based on the criteria that they are family-run, have high equity ratio and employ up to 3000 peopleAcknowledges the vital contribution that MidCaps (enterprises that have outgrown the SME definition but still have typically medium-sized structures) make to employment and growth by virtue of their productivity; believes that MidCaps do not receive enough attention from policy-makers; calls, therefore, for the Commission to study the merits of establishing a separate definition for MidCaps;

Amendment 103 #

Paragraph 9

Amendment 104 #

Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Notes that, beyond SMEs, freelancers and large enterprises, also Mid-Caps contribute to employment and growth, especially by virtue of their productivity and therefore should deserve a fair level of attention in the EU policies;

Amendment 105 #

Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Commission, in addition to the priority EU measures for SMEs, to launch a MidCaps-oriented initiative using new funding, which would cover collaborative research access, digitalisation strategies, export market development and an easing of the Basel specifications and data protection rules;deleted

Amendment 106 #

Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Commission, in addition to the priority EU measures for SMEs, to launch a MidCaps-oriented initiative using ~~new~~additional funding, which would cover collaborative research access, digitalisation strategies, export market development and an easing of the Basel specifications and data protection rules; considers that the definition of SMEs should not be influenced by this and, consequently, that resources and special organisational arrangements should be provided for micro enterprises and small businesses, in order to ensure their competitiveness and equal opportunities;

Amendment 107 #

Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Commission, in addition to the priority EU measures for SMEs, to launch a MidCaps-oriented initiative using ~~new~~additional funding, which would cover collaborative research access, digitalisation strategies, export market development and an easing of the Basel specifications and data protection rules; stresses that that must not have a negative impact on the existing SME definition and the support measures stemming from it;

Amendment 108 #

Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Commission~~, in addition to the priority EU measures for SMEs, to launch a MidCaps-oriented initiative using new funding, which would cover collaborative research access, digital~~ to proceed further with its analysis of MidCaps, and to include in it an assessment of the existence and effectiveness of exisati~~on strategies, export market development and an easing of the Basel specifications and data protection rule~~ng measures at Union level and in the Member States, including priority EU and Member State measures for SMEs;

Amendment 109 #

Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Commission, in addition to the priority EU measures for SMEs, to launch a MidCaps-oriented initiative ~~using~~which would not merely mirror measures for SMEs but would address specific challenges of MidCaps, using exclusively new funding, which would cover collaborative research access, digitalisation strategies, export market development and an easing of ~~the Basel specifications and data protection rules~~data protection rules where appropriate and fully justified;

Amendment 11 #

Caroline NAGTEGAAL, Pavel TELIČKA, Angelika MLINAR, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Kaja KALLAS, Gesine MEISSNER

Recital C

C. whereas the SME definition is referred to in approximately 100 EU legal acts, primarily in the areas of competition policy and structural, research and innovation funds, but also labour, environmental, energy, consumer protection and social security legislation~~, for example in the REACH secondary legislation and the Energy Efficiency Directive~~;

Amendment 110 #

Nadine MORANO

Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Commission, in addition to the priority EU measures for SMEs, to launch a MidCaps-oriented initiative using new funding, which would cover collaborative research access, access to EU funds, digitalisation strategies, export market development and an easing of the Basel specifications and data protection rules;

Amendment 111 #

Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Commission, in addition to ~~the~~ priorit~~y EU~~izing measures for EU SMEs, to ~~launch a MidCaps-oriented initiative~~explore launching an initiative aimed at growth-oriented MidCaps using new funding, which would cover collaborative research access, digitalisation strategies, export market development and an easing of the Basel specifications and data protection rules;

Amendment 112 #

Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Commission, ~~in addition to~~to proceed further with its analysis of MidCaps, including the effectiveness of the priority EU measures ~~for SMEs, to launch a MidCaps-oriented initiative using new funding, which would cover collaborative~~of the EU and Member States, with particular reference to cohesion policy, research access, digitalisation strategies, export market development and an easing of the Basel specifications and data protection rules;

Amendment 113 #

Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Commission, in addition to the priority EU measures for SMEs, to ~~launch a MidCap~~evaluate the opportunity to launch further specific business-oriented initiatives using new funding, which would cover collaborative research access, digitalisation strategies, ~~export~~ market development ~~and an easing of the Basel specifications and data protection rules~~, data protection rules and internationalisation;

Amendment 114 #

Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Commission, in addition to the priority EU measures for SMEs, to launch a ~~MidCaps-~~oriented initiative for micro-enterprises using new funding, which would cover collaborative research access, digitalisation strategies, export market development and an easing of the Basel specifications and data protection rules;

Amendment 115 #

Bendt BENDTSEN, Paul RÜBIG, Krišjānis KARIŅŠ, Gunnar HÖKMARK, Seán KELLY

Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Commission, in addition to the priority EU measures for SMEs, to ~~launch a~~explore options for new MidCaps-oriented funding initiative ~~using new funding~~s, which wcould cover collaborative research access, digitalisation strategies, export market development and an easing of the Basel specifications and data protection rules;

Amendment 116 #

Paragraph 10

Amendment 117 #

Paragraph 10

10. ~~Calls on the Commission~~Believes that, in addition to the priority EU measures for SMEs, to ~~launch a~~sufficient MidCaps-oriented initiative ~~using new funding, which would cover~~s exist regarding collaborative research access, digitalisation strategies, export market development ~~and an easing of the Basel specifications and data protection rul~~rules; through measures in the framework of the relevant programmes;

Amendment 118 #

Caroline NAGTEGAAL, Pavel TELIČKA, Angelika MLINAR, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Kaja KALLAS, Gesine MEISSNER

Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Believes that the future COSME, FP9 as well as Structural Funds Programmes under the next MFF should continue to earmark sufficient amounts to support SMEs to innovate and generate employment;

Amendment 119 #

Esther DE LANGE

Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Underlines the importance of maintaining a clear and common definition of SMEs in light of the ongoing negotiations on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union as SMEs are defined in EU law and are often attributed a special status in the Union’s trading agreements;

Amendment 12 #

Recital C

C. whereas the SME definition is referred to in approximately 100 EU legal acts, primarily in the areas of competition policy, financial market legislation and structural, research and innovation funds, but also environmental, energy, consumer protection and social security legislation, for example in the REACH secondary legislation and the Energy Efficiency Directive;

Amendment 120 #

Paragraph 11

11. Takes the view that SME categorisation should not be exclusively based on the criteria of employee headcount, annual turnover and balance sheet totals; calls, therefore, for the criteria of ‘export-intensive’ (high level of exports in relation to number of employees), ‘largely independently-run’ and ‘high equity ratio’ - to be defined in due course - to be taken into account when categorising companies and for enterprises with these characteristics to at least be exempted from the relevant specific reporting obligations and/or for it to be made easier for them to access financial support;deleted

Amendment 121 #

Paragraph 11

Amendment 122 #

Paragraph 11

Amendment 123 #

Paragraph 11

Amendment 124 #

Paragraph 11

11. Takes the view that SME categorisation should not be exclusively based on the criteria of employee headcount, annual turnover ~~and~~, balance sheet totals; calls, therefore, for the criteria of ‘export-intensive’ (high level of exports in relation to number of employees), ‘largely independently-run’ and ‘high equity ratio’ - to be defined in due course - to be taken into account when categorising companies and for enterprises with these characteristics to at least be exempted from the relevant specific reporting obligations and/or for it to be made easier for them to access financial support and independence;

Amendment 125 #

Paragraph 11

Amendment 126 #

Paragraph 11

11. Takes the view that SME categorisation ~~should not be exclusive~~is correctly based on the criteria of employee headcount, annual turnover and balance sheet totals; calls, therefore, for the criteria of ‘export-intensive’ (high level of exports in relation to number of employees), ‘largely independently-run’ and ‘high equity ratio’ - to be defined in due course - to be taken into account when categorising companies and for enterprises with these characteristics to at least be exempted from the relevant specific reporting obligations and/or for it to be made easier for them to access financial support, and their combination;

Amendment 127 #

Paragraph 11

11. Takes the view that SME categorisation should ~~not~~ be exclusively based on the criteria of employee headcount, annual turnover ~~and~~ balance sheet totals; calls, therefore, for the criteria of ‘export-intensive’ (high level of exports in relation to number of employees), ‘largely independently-run’ and ‘high equity ratio’ - to be defined in due course - to be taken into account when categorising companies and for enterprises with these characteristics to at least be exempted from the relevant specific reporting obligations and/or for it to be made easier for them to access financial support, as repeatedly confirmed by Commission´s impact assessments;

Amendment 128 #

Paragraph 11

Amendment 129 #

Paragraph 11

11. Takes the view that SME categorisation should not be exclusively based on the criteria of employee headcount, annual turnover and balance sheet totals; calls, therefore, for the criteria of ~~‘export-intensive’ (high level of exports in relation to number of employees),~~ ‘largely independently-run’ and ‘high equity ratio’ - to be defined in due course - to be taken into account when categorising companies ~~and for enterprises with these characteristics to at least be exempted from the relevant specific reporting obligations and/or for it to be made easier for them to access financial support~~;

Amendment 13 #

Caroline NAGTEGAAL, Pavel TELIČKA, Angelika MLINAR, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Kaja KALLAS, Gesine MEISSNER

Recital D

D. whereas ~~a coherent legal environment is favourable to all businesses and whereas the SME definition is a tool to overcome~~the SME definition as provided in Recommendation 2003/361/EC1 is a structural tool to identify those enterprises, which are confronted with market failures and p~~roblem~~articular challenges stemming from size, volume of assets and business models; and therefore are allowed to benefit from specific EU support, such as financing opportunities, simplified procedures or exemptions

Amendment 130 #

Paragraph 11

11. Takes the view that future SME categorisation should not necessarily be exclusively based on the criteria of employee headcount, annual turnover and balance sheet totals; calls, therefore, for the Commission to analyse the merits of criteria ofsuch as ‘export-intensive’ (high level of exports in relation to number of employees), ‘largely independently-run’ and ‘high equity ratio’ - to be defined in due course - to be taken into account when categorising companies and for enterprises with these characteristics to at least be exempted from the relevant specific reporting obligations and/or for it to be made easier for them to access financial support;

Amendment 131 #

Amjad BASHIR

Paragraph 11

11. ~~Takes the view~~Underlines that SME categoriszation is~~hould not be exclusively~~ based on the criteria of employee headcount, annual turnover and balance sheet totals; ~~calls, therefore, for the~~believes however that additional criteria such as criteria of ‘export-intensive’ (high level of exports in relation to number of employees), ‘largely independently-run’ and ‘high equity ratio’ - tomay be defined in due course - to be taken into account when categorising companies and for enterprises with these characteristics to at least be exempted from the relevant specific reporting obligations and/or for it to be made easier for them to access financial supportanalysed by the Commission when categorising companies;

Amendment 132 #

Bendt BENDTSEN, Krišjānis KARIŅŠ, Gunnar HÖKMARK, Seán KELLY

Paragraph 11

11. ~~Tak~~Welcomes the ~~view that SME categorisation should not be exclusively based on~~Commission's public consultation on the SME definition, including the criteria of employee headcount, annual turnover and balance sheet totals; calls~~, therefore, for the~~ for an assessment of whether a criteria of ‘export-intensive’ (high level of exports in relation to number of employees), ‘largely independently-run’ and ‘high equity ratio’ - to be defined in due course - could to be taken into account when categorising companies ~~and for enterprises with these characteristics to at least be exempted from the relevant specific reporting obligations and/or for it to be made easier for them to access financial support~~;

Amendment 133 #

Paragraph 11

11. ~~Takes the view that SME categorisation should not be exclusively based on the~~Encourages the Commission to consider the inclusion of criteria ofther than employee headcount, annual turnover and balance sheet totals~~; calls, therefore, for~~ for the SME categorisation while having due regard to the objective of maintaining clear and coherent rules; encourages, in particular, the consideration of the criteria of ‘export- intensive’ (high level of exports in relation to number of employees), ‘largely independently-run’ and ‘high equity ratio’ - to be defined in due course - ~~to be taken into account~~ when categorising companies and for enterprises with these characteristics to at least be exempted from the relevant specific reporting obligations and/or for it to be made easier for them to access financial support;

Amendment 134 #

Paragraph 12

12. Calls on the Commission to conduct a study into the impact of the SME definition on business development and on lock-in-effects~~, i.e. when enterprises deliberately opt not to expand in order to avoid bureaucratic burdens and other obligations that arise from the loss of their SME status~~;

Amendment 135 #

Caroline NAGTEGAAL, Pavel TELIČKA, Angelika MLINAR, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Kaja KALLAS, Gesine MEISSNER

Paragraph 12

12. Calls on the Commission to conduct a study into the impact of the SME definition on business development ~~and on lock-in-effects, i.e. when enterprises deliberately opt not to expand in order to avoid bureaucratic burdens and other obligations that arise from the loss of their SME status~~, business models and employment;

Amendment 136 #

Paragraph 12

12. Calls on the Commission to conduct a comprehensive study into the impact of the SME definition on business development and on possible lock-in- effects, i.e. when enterprises deliberately opt not to expand in order to avoid bureaucratic burdens and other obligations that arise from the loss of their SME status;

Amendment 137 #

Paragraph 12

12. Calls on the Commission to conduct a study ~~into~~about the impact of the SME definition on business development and on lock-in-effects, i.e. when enterprises deliberately opt not to expand in order to avoid bureaucratic burdens and other obligations that arise from the loss of their SME statuand SME relevant policies on business development, taking into consideration lock-in-effects and looking into the usefulness of sector-specific SME definitions;

Amendment 138 #

Paragraph 12

12. Calls on the Commission to conduct a study into the possible impact of the SME definition on business development and on lock-in-effects, i.e. when enterprises deliberately opt not to expand in order to avoid bureaucratic burdens and other obligations that arise from the loss of their SME status;

Amendment 139 #

Paragraph 12

Amendment 14 #

Recital D

D. whereas a coherent legal environment is favourable to all businesses and whereas ~~the~~a stringent SME definition is a tool to ~~overcom~~mitigate market failures and problems ~~stemming from~~inherent to competition between enterprises different in size, volume of assets and business models;

Amendment 140 #

Jens GEIER, Patrizia TOIA, Martina WERNER

Paragraph 12

Amendment 141 #

Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Underlines that small local public service enterprises that meet the SME criteria fulfil important tasks for local communities; notes that having public ownership does not necessarily imply financial or regulatory support by the public entity due to national legislation, state aid laws and financially weak public entities; stresses that they thus face the same challenges as SMESs, which may lead to unfair competitive disadvantages for these enterprises when they are financially independent, organized under private law or are operating under competitive conditions with private companies; therefore, urges the Commission to re-examine and consider a deletion of the exclusion of enterprises with a public ownership of more than 25% from the SME definition;

Amendment 142 #

Markus PIEPER

Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Calls on the Commission in addition to carry out a study to assess the cross-border impact of large family firms on SMEs as regards employment, added value and tax receipts;

Amendment 143 #

Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission to conduct a feasibility study of sector- specific SME definitions in order to scrutinise the impact of such an approach on these sectors of the economy and the added avlue generated when set against the additional costs incurred, and to adapt the SME definition accordingly, should the study prove its feasibility;deleted

Amendment 144 #

Caroline NAGTEGAAL, Pavel TELIČKA, Angelika MLINAR, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Kaja KALLAS, Gesine MEISSNER

Paragraph 13

Amendment 145 #

Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission to conduct a feasibility study of sector- specific SME definitions in order to scrutinise the impact of such an approach on these sectors of the economy and the added value generated when set against the additional costs incurred, and to adapt the SME definition accordingly, should the study prove its feasibility;deleted

Amendment 146 #

Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission to conduct a feasibility study of sector- specific SME definitions in order to scrutinise the impact of such an approach on these sectors of the economy and the added value generated when set against the additional costs incurred, and to adapt the SME definition accordingly, should the study prove its feasibility;deleted

Amendment 147 #

Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission to conduct a feasibility study of sector- specific SME definitions in order to scrutinise the impact of such an approach on these sectors of the economy and the added value generated when set against the additional costs incurred, and to adapt the SME definition accordingly, should the study prove its feasibility;deleted

Amendment 148 #

Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission to conduct a feasibility study of sector- specific SME definitions not resulting in additional administrative burdens for Member States or SMEs in order to scrutinise the impact of such an approach on these sectors of the economy and the added value generated when set against the additional costs incurred, and to adapt the SME definition accordingly, should the study prove its feasibility;

Amendment 149 #

Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission to conduct a feasibility study of sector- specific SME definitions in order to scrutinise the impact of such an approach on these sectors of the economy and the added avalue generated ~~when set against the additional costs incurred, and to adapt the SME definition accordingly, should the study prove its feasibility~~;

Amendment 15 #

Recital D

D. whereas a coherent legal environment with clear rules is favourable to all businesses and whereas the SME definition is a tool to overcome market failures and problems stemming from size, volume of assets and business models;

Amendment 150 #

Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission to conduct a feasibility study of sector- specific SME definitions in order to scrutinise the impact of such an approach on these sectors of the economy and the added avalue generated ~~when set against the additional costs incurred, and to adapt the SME definition accordingly, should the study prove its feasibility~~;

Amendment 151 #

Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission to conduct a feasibility study of sector- specific SME definitions in order to scrutinise the impact of such an approach on these sectors of the economy and the added value generated when set against the additional costs incurred, ~~and to adapt the SME definition accordingly,~~ should the study prove its feasibility;

Amendment 152 #

Paragraph 14

Amendment 153 #

Paragraph 14

14. Calls for an SME category test to be made mandatory for all EU legislative proposals, beyond the Commission’s own undertakings; stresses that the result should be clearly indicated in the impact assessment; calls on the Commission and Member States to give such an undertaking in the next Interinstitutional Agreement on better law- making; considers the Small Business Act for Europe to be a highly effective instrument and would therefore like to see it brought back into line with how it was initially conceived, and also updated;

Amendment 154 #

Caroline NAGTEGAAL, Pavel TELIČKA, Angelika MLINAR, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Kaja KALLAS

Paragraph 14

14. Calls for an SME category test to be made mandatory for all EU legislative proposals, beyond the Commission’s own undertakings; stresses that the result should be clearly indicated in the impact assessment; calls on the Commission and Member States to give such an undertaking in the next Interinstitutional Agreement on better law- making, and calls for the Small Business Act for Europe to be updated in the light of the altered state of many European SMEs;

Amendment 155 #

Paragraph 14

14. Calls for anthe SME ~~category test~~Test which implements the Think Small Principle to be made mandatory for all EU legislative proposals, beyond the Commission’s own undertakings; stresses that the result of this test should be clearly indicated in the impact assessment of all legislative proposals; calls on the Commission to give such an undertaking in the next Interinstitutional Agreement on better law- making;

Amendment 156 #

Paragraph 14

14. Calls for an SME ~~category~~impact test to be made mandatory for all EU legislative proposals, beyond the Commission’s own undertakings; stresses that the result should be clearly indicated in the impact assessment; calls on the Commission to give such an undertaking in the next Interinstitutional Agreement on better law- making;

Amendment 157 #

Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to provide guidance to enterprises on the procedures used to determine SME status, as well as information about any changes on the SME definition or procedures in an unbureaucratic, timely and pragmatic manner;

Amendment 158 #

Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to provide guidance to enterprises on the procedures used to determine SME status in an ~~unbureaucratic and pragmatic~~optimal manner;

Amendment 16 #

Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas the Commission regularly monitors the implementation of the EUSME Definition; whereas repeatedly in 2006, 2009 and latest 2012 evaluations were carried out and concluded that there is no need for a major revision of the EU SME definition.

Amendment 17 #

Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas the cross-sectoral value chain for SMEs makes it possible to reduce institutional, technical and bureaucratic obstacles and whereas effective support policies are needed for the creation of networks between businesses;

Amendment 18 #

Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas an SME definition has to contribute to facilitating quality job creation, improving working conditions and security, limiting to the absolute minimum any abuses.

Amendment 19 #

Rolandas PAKSAS

Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the Commission’s initial impact assessment, and approves the focus on enterprises ~~that~~, especially the most vulnerable subgroups, namely sole proprietorships, micro-enterprises, traditional companies with low innovation potential, companies in remote regions, and the like, which are need in of support and simple rules and on the objective to increase planning and legal certainty for businesses and create a level playing field;

Amendment 2 #

Recital A

A. whereas the 23 million micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU, which make up around 99 % of all businesses and provide more than 90 million jobs while generating some EUR 3.9 trillion in added value, make a vital contribution to economic growth, social cohesion and job creation and are a major source of innovation in the EU, and depend highly on domestic demand and consumption;

Amendment 20 #

Paragraph 1

1. ~~Welcomes~~Takes note of the Commission’s initial impact assessment, and apsupports the possibility to improves the focus on those enterprises that are in need in of support and simple rules ~~and~~with the ~~objective to increas~~aim to streamline planning and legal certainty for ~~businesse~~SMEs and create a level playing field;

Amendment 21 #

Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the Commission’s initial impact assessment, and approves the focus on enterprises that are in need in of support and simple rules and the objective to increase planning and legal certainty for businesses and create a level playing field; in this context also welcomes the on-going public consultation open till 6th May 2018;

Amendment 22 #

Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the Commission’s initial impact assessment, and approves the focus on enterprises that are need in of support and simple rules and the objective to increase planning and legal certainty for businesses ~~and create a level playing field~~;

Amendment 23 #

Paragraph 2

2. Takes the view that given the nature of this strategic instrument and the many differences between SMEs and Member States, the flexibility offered by the 2003 recommendation should be maintained; is convinced that strictly applying the SME definition runs counter to the intentions of the recommendation and ultimately hinders the growth of ~~SMEs~~the economy;

Amendment 24 #

Paragraph 2

2. Takes the view that given the nature of this strategic instrument and the many differences between SMEs and Member States, the flexibility offered by the 2003 recommendation should be maintained; is convinced that the overall striuct~~ly applying the SME definition runs counter to the intentions of the recommendation and ultimately hinders the growth of SMEs~~ure of the definition must be preserved and applied with the correct combination of the already identified criteria;

Amendment 25 #

Paragraph 2

2. Takes the view that given the nature of this ~~strategic~~ instrument and the many differences between SMEs and Member States, the flexibility offered by the 2003 recommendation should be ~~maintained; is convinced that strictly applying the SME definition runs counter to the intentions of the recommendation and ultimately hinders the growth of SME~~removed; a wider and more flexible definition would affect legal and administrative certainty, leading to bigger companies to take undue advantage of SME support measures;

Amendment 26 #

Subheading 3

~~Re-evaluation~~Potential update of the SME definition

Amendment 27 #

Subheading 3

~~Re-evaluation~~Adequacy of the SME definition

Amendment 28 #

Paragraph 3

3. Calls on the Commission to prevent larger players from attempting to create specific corporate structures to take advantage of the SME definition, which would lead to a system in which the available support is wrongly distributed more widely and hence not available to SMEs in need; emphasises that an adjustment of the SME definition sh~~ould~~all not ~~work to the detriment of SMEs, denying them access to public support~~lead to unjustified broadening of the scope, which might deny or reduce access to public support for those SMEs facing unfair disadvantages as a consequence of their limited size;

Amendment 29 #

Paragraph 3

3. Calls on the Commission and Member States to prevent larger players from attempting to create specific corporate structures to take advantage of the SME definition, which ~~would~~ lead to a system in which the available support is wrongly distributed more widely and hence not available to SMEs in need, specially micro and small enterprises; emphasises that an adjustment of the SME definition should not work to the detriment of SMEs, denying them access to public support;

Amendment 3 #

Nadine MORANO

Recital A

A. whereas the 23 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU, which make up around 99% of all businesses, employ almost two thirds of the European working population, and provide more than 90 million jobs while generating some EUR 3.9 trillion in added value, make a vital contribution to economic growth, social cohesion and job creation and are a major source of innovation in the EU;

Amendment 30 #

Aldo PATRICIELLO

Paragraph 3

3. Calls on the Commission to prevent larger players from attempting to create or divide specific corporate structures to take advantage of the SME definition, which would lead to a system in which the available support is wrongly distributed more widely and hence not available to SMEs in need; emphasises that an adjustment of the SME definition should not work to the detriment of SMEs, denying them access to public support;

Amendment 31 #

Paragraph 3

3. Calls on the Commission to prevent larger players from attempting to create specific corporate structures to take advantage of the SME definition, which would lead to a system in which the available support is wrongly distributed more widely and hence not available to SMEs in need; emphasises that an ~~adjustment~~y potential update of the SME definition should ~~not~~always work to the ~~detrimen~~benefit of SMEs~~, denying~~ and ease themir access to public support;

Amendment 32 #

Markus PIEPER

Paragraph 3

3. Calls on the Commission to prevent larger players from attempting to create ~~spec~~artificial corporate structures to take advantage of the SME definition, which would lead to a system in which the available support is wrongly distributed more widely and hence not available to SMEs in need; emphasises that an adjustment of the SME definition should not work to the detriment of SMEs, denying them access to public support;

Amendment 33 #

Paragraph 3

Amendment 34 #

Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Calls on the Commission to terminate the general exclusion of SMEs with public participation because of their ownership structure, as they face the same regulatory and financial challenges as other businesses of the same size, are deeply rooted in their local business environment and, inter alia, create the right preconditions for the growth of all other SMEs; emphasises that, as regards partners and related undertakings, the Commission communication on the definition of SMEs is appropriate and sufficient to prevent harmful corporate structures and that, in accordance with the principles of EU competition law, the criteria for SMEs should only be of a quantitative nature.

Amendment 35 #

Paragraph 4

4. Urges the Commission to at least update the SME definition to take account of the rise in inflation and labour productivity since 2003; strongly supports an adjustment beyond the index-linking of inflation and labour productivity, in order to take account of future inflation, provide certainty and obviate the need fpr a rapid further adjustment in the next few years;deleted

Amendment 36 #

Paragraph 4

4. Urges the Commission to at least update the SME definition to take account of the rise in inflation and labour productivity since 2003; strongly supports an adjustment beyond the index-linking of inflation and labour productivity, in order to take account of future inflation, provide certainty and obviate the need for a rapid further adjustment in the next few years;deleted

Amendment 37 #

Paragraph 4

4. ~~Urges the Commission to at least upd~~Considers thate the ~~SME~~ definition to take account of the rise in inflation and labour productivity since 2003; strongly supports an adjustment beyond the index-linking of inflation and labour productivity, in order to take account of future inflation, provide certainty and obviate the need for a rapid further adjustment in the next few yearsof SMEs in the recommendation of 2003 is currently more than suited to its purpose and therefore urges the Commission not to propose any changes to it;

Amendment 38 #

Paragraph 4

4. ~~Urges~~Calls on the Commission to ~~at least~~ update the SME definition to take account of the rise in inflation and labour productivity since 2003; strongly supports an adjustment beyond the index-linking of inflation and labour productivity, in order to take account of future inflation, provide certainty and obviate the need for a rapid further adjustment in the next few yearsfinancial thresholds for the SME definition to take account of the rise in inflation since 2003;

Amendment 39 #

Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO

Paragraph 4

4. Urges the Commission to ~~at least~~ update the SME definition minimally to take account of the rise in inflation and labour productivity since 2003; strongly supports an adjustment beyond the index-linking of inflation and labour productivity, in order to take account of future inflation, provide certainty and obviate the need for a rapid further adjustment in the next few years;

Amendment 4 #

Recital A

A. whereas the 23 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU, which make up around 99 % of all businesses and provide more than 90 million jobs while generating some EUR 3.9 trillion in added value, make a vital contribution to ~~economic growth, social cohesion and job creat~~the creation and maintenance of quality jobs, sustainable economic growth and social cohesion and are a major source of innovation in the EU;

Amendment 40 #

Paragraph 4

4. ~~Urges~~Calls on the Commission ~~to at least~~at most to update the SME definition to take account of the rise in inflation and labour productivity since 2003; strongly supports an adjustment beyond the index-linking of inflation and labour productivity, in order to take account of future inflation, provide certainty and obviate the need for a rapid further adjustment in the next few years, but essentially to retain it;

Amendment 41 #

Caroline NAGTEGAAL, Pavel TELIČKA, Angelika MLINAR, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Kaja KALLAS, Gesine MEISSNER

Paragraph 4

4. ~~Urges~~Calls on the Commission to ~~at least update~~consider updating the financial thresholds for the SME definition to take account of the rise in inflation and labour productivity since 2003; strongly supports an adjustment beyond the index-linking of inflation and labour productivity, in order to take account of future inflation, provide certainty and obviate the need for a rapid further adjustment in the next few yearwhile also, possibly, taking account of the Commission’s economic forecasts;

Amendment 42 #

Paragraph 4

4. Urges the Commission to ~~at least~~study the merits of updateing the SME definition to take account of the rise in inflation and labour productivity since 2003; strongly supports an adjustment beyond the index-linking of inflation and labour productivity, in order to take account of future inflation, provide certainty and obviate the need for a rapid further adjustment in the next few years;

Amendment 43 #

Paragraph 4

4. UrAcknowledges the Commission ~~to at least~~'s intention to verify the need to update the SME definition only to take account of the rise in inflation and labour productivity since 2003; strongly supports an adjustment beyond the index-linking of inflation and labour productivity, in order to take account of future inflation, provide certainty and obviate the need for a rapid further adjustment in the next few years;

Amendment 44 #

Paragraph 4

4. Urges the Commission to ~~at least~~consider an update of the SME definition so as to take account of the rise in inflation and labour productivity since 2003; strongly supports an adjustment beyond the index-linking of inflation and labour productivity, in order to take account of future inflation, provide certainty and obviate the need for a rapid further adjustment in the next few year by means of an assessment of the market effects of the current thresholds;

Amendment 45 #

Paragraph 4

4. ~~Urges~~Calls on the Commission to ~~at least~~consider an update of the SME definition to take account of the rise in inflation and labour productivity since 2003; strongly supports an adjustment ~~beyond the index-linking of~~according to the Commission's economic forecasts regarding inflation and labour productivity, in order to take account of future inflation, provide certainty and obviate the need for a rapid further adjustment in the next few years;

Amendment 46 #

Bendt BENDTSEN, Paul RÜBIG, Krišjānis KARIŅŠ, Gunnar HÖKMARK, Seán KELLY

Paragraph 4

4. Urges the Commission to at least update the SME definition to take account of the rise in inflation and labour productivity since 2003; ~~strongly supports an~~welcomes an assessment of a possible adjustment beyond the index-linking of inflation and labour productivity, in order to take account of future inflation, provide certainty and obviate the need for a rapid further adjustment in the next few years;

Amendment 47 #

Paragraph 5

Amendment 48 #

Paragraph 5

Amendment 49 #

Jens GEIER, Patrizia TOIA

Paragraph 5

Amendment 5 #

Recital A

A. whereas the 23 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU, which make up around 99 % of all businesses and provide more than 90 million jobs while generating some EUR 3.9 trillion in added value, make a vital contribution to economic growth, social cohesion and ~~job~~the creation of sustainable and high-quality jobs, and are a major source of innovation in the EU;

Amendment 50 #

Paragraph 5

5. Points out that the employee numbers is not a criterion which can be used to draw up for accurate EU-wide comparisons, as labour productivity varies from one Member State to another; welcomes, therefore, a shift towards the criteria of turnover and balance sheet totals; staff threshold of 250 employees is still appropriate, as it covers already 99.8% of all enterprises and two-thirds of the European economy in terms of employment. Larger enterprises with 250 to 500 employees often have stronger market positions as well as consolidated management structures. As confirmed also by the Commission’s impact assessment, any expansion of the threshold would risk watering down the SME definition and distract financial support from those micro, small and medium-sized enterprises needing it.

Amendment 51 #

Paragraph 5

5. Points out that the employee numbers is not a criterion which can be used to draw up for accurate EU-wide comparisons, as labour productivity varies from one Member State to another; underlines that SMEs may refrain from employing more people to prevent losing the SME status; stresses that this is contradictory to the EU focus on jobs and growth; welcomes, therefore, a shift towards the criteria of turnover and balance sheet totals;

Amendment 52 #

Paragraph 5

5. Points out that the employee numbers is not a criterion which can be used to draw up for accurate EU-wide comparisons, as labour productivity varies from one Member State to another; welcomes, therefore, a shift towards the criteria of turnover and balance sheet totals; Stresses that number of employees should remain the main criterion for defining SMEs and that, as labour productivity varies from one Member State to another, it is not a useful indicator for the purpose of adjusting financial thresholds for the definition of SMEs; considers furthermore that, in relation to number of employees, the definition of ‘micro enterprise’ should be properly recognised and take the acronym MSME;

Amendment 53 #

Paragraph 5

5. Points out that the employee numbers is ~~not~~ a criterion which can be used to draw up for accurate EU-wide comparisons~~, as labour productivity varies from one Member State to another; welcomes, therefore, a shift towards the criteria of turnover and balance sheet totals~~;

Amendment 54 #

Caroline NAGTEGAAL, Pavel TELIČKA, Angelika MLINAR, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Kaja KALLAS, Gesine MEISSNER

Paragraph 5

5. Points out that the employee numbers is ~~not a criterion which can be used to draw up~~a useful and clear criterion and should be maintained; recognises, however, the limitations of the employee number as the sole criterion for accurate EU-wide comparisons, as labour productivity varies from one Member State to another; welcomes, therefore, ~~a shift towards~~the inclusion of the criteria of turnover and balance sheet totals;

Amendment 55 #

Paragraph 5

5. Points out that ~~the~~ employee ~~numbers is not a criterion which can be used to draw up for accurate EU-wide comparisons, as~~headcount has become a widely accepted criteria and it remains a valid factor when determining companies resources and need for support measures; acknowledges that labour productivity varies from one Member State to another~~; welcom~~ and believes, th~~erefore, a shift towards the criteria of turnover and balance sheet totals~~at turnover and balance sheet totals are equally important criteria's in the definition;

Amendment 56 #

Paragraph 5

5. Points out that the employee numbers is not a criterion which can be used to draw up for accurate EU-wide comparisons, as labour productivity varies from one Member State to another; welcomes, therefore, a shift towards the criteria of turnover and balance sheet totalshaving fewer than 250 employees is a key criterion for defining SMEs in relation to the criteria of turnover and balance sheet totals; emphasises, moreover, that, on the basis of the number of employees, the identification of ‘micro enterprise’ should be specifically emphasised in the definition, while the term to which it applies should be assigned the acronym MSME;

Amendment 57 #

Bendt BENDTSEN, Paul RÜBIG, Krišjānis KARIŅŠ, Gunnar HÖKMARK, Seán KELLY

Paragraph 5

5. Points out that the employee numbers is not a criterion which can ~~be used to draw up~~stand alone for accurate EU-wide comparisons, as labour productivity varies from one Member State to another; welcomes, therefore, a ~~shift towards~~comprehensive approach including the criteria of turnover and balance sheet totals;

Amendment 58 #

Jens GEIER, Patrizia TOIA

Paragraph 5

Amendment 59 #

Pirkko RUOHONEN-LERNER

Paragraph 5

5. Points out that the employee numbers is not a criterion which can be used to draw up for accurate EU-wide comparisons, as labour productivity varies from one Member State to another; welcomes, therefore, a shift towards the criteria, if account is taken of the major disparities in productivity between sectors such as cleaning and ICT services in the EU, and the need for comparability of SMEs at EU level, the staff complement criterion is determined sector by sector on the basis of tEur~~nover and balance sheet total~~ostat’s classification of sectors;

Amendment 6 #

Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas 90% of European SMEs and 93% of all EU companies in the non- financial business sector are micro firms, which contribute the largest share of value added and employment among SMEs as they employ approximately 30% of the European workforce and which thus need special attention;

Amendment 60 #

Esther DE LANGE

Paragraph 5

5. Points out that the employee numbers ismay not abe the most suitable criterion which can be used to draw up for accurate EU-wide comparisons, as labour productivity varies from one Member State to another; welcomes, therefore, a shift towards the criteria of turnover and balance sheet totals, which could, if appropriate, subsequently lead to a comprehensive analysis of the implications of the introduction of new criteria;

Amendment 61 #

Paragraph 6

6. Stresses that there is a need to ~~clarify not onl~~simplify the terms ‘linked enterprise’ and ‘partner enterprise’ ~~but also~~and SMEs’ status in mergers~~, and consortiums and~~; regards the simplification of procedures ~~and the cutting of red tape as imperative; calls on the Commission in that connection to further simplify~~, red tape and the applicable rules as imperative;

Amendment 62 #

Paragraph 6

6. Stresses that there is a need to ~~clarify not onl~~simplify the terms ‘linked enterprise’ and ‘partner enterprise’ ~~but also~~and SMEs’ status in mergers~~, and consortiums and regards the simplification of procedures and the cutting of red tape as imperative; calls on the Commission in that connection to further~~; considers it necessary, furthermore, to simplify procedures, for example so as to reduce red tape and simplify the applicable rules;

Amendment 63 #

Paragraph 6

6. Stresses that there is a need to ~~clarify not onl~~simplify the terms ‘linked enterprise’ and ‘partner enterprise’ ~~but~~and also SMEs’ status in mergers, ~~and consortiums~~ and regards the simplification of procedures and the cutting of red tape as imperative; calls on the Commission in that connection to ~~further~~ simplify the applicable rules;

Amendment 64 #

Paragraph 6

6. Stresses that there is a need to clarify ~~not only~~ the terms ‘linked enterprise’ and ‘partner enterprise’ but also SMEs’ status in mergers ~~and consortiums~~, and regards the simplification of procedures and the ~~cutting of red tape as imperative; calls on the Commission in that connection to further simplify the applicable rules~~applicable rules, and the cutting of red tape, as imperative;

Amendment 65 #

Paragraph 6

6. Stresses that there is a need to clarify not only the terms ‘linked enterprise’ and ‘partner enterprise’ but also SMEs’ status in mergers and consortiums, and regards the simplification of procedures and the ~~cutting of red tape~~reduction of excessive administrative burden as imperative; calls on the Commission in that connection to further simplify the applicable rules;

Amendment 66 #

Paragraph 6

6. Stresses that there is a need to clarify not only the terms ‘linked enterprise’ and ‘partner enterprise’ but also SMEs’ status in mergers and consortiums, ~~and regards the simplification of procedures and the cutting of red tape as imperative~~in order to avoid the creation of specific corporate structures to take advantage of the SME definition; calls on the Commission in that connection to further simplify the applicable rules;

Amendment 67 #

Caroline NAGTEGAAL, Pavel TELIČKA, Angelika MLINAR, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Kaja KALLAS, Gesine MEISSNER

Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Calls on the Commission to support the aggregation of undertakings, particularly clusters and business networks, with the aim of promoting the rationalisation of costs and improvements to the exchange of knowledge and expertise, with particular reference to innovation relating to both products/services and processes.

Amendment 68 #

Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Believes that any future adjustments to the SME definition should be done in a manner that ensures the long term stability of the definition;

Amendment 69 #

Paragraph 7

7. Welcomes the Commission’s start- up and scale-up initiative; views the promotion of entrepreneurship as important for economic growth in the EU; calls on the Commission to introduce a two-year transitional period during which enterprises which no longer qualify for SME status would retain that status;deleted

Amendment 7 #

Nadine MORANO

Recital B

B. whereas SMEs are disproportionately affected by administrative burdens and financial obstacles by comparison with larger firms, and this impedes their competitiveness, exports, and job creation; whereas at EU and Member State level further efforts could be made to create an SME-friendly environment which go beyond the political pledges already given;

Amendment 70 #

Markus PIEPER

Paragraph 7

7. Welcomes the Commission’s start- up and scale-up initiative; views the promotion of entrepreneurship as important for economic growth in the EU; ~~calls on the Commission to introduce a~~takes the view that the two-year transitional period ~~during which enterprises which no longer qualify for SME status would retain that status~~after SME status ends should be consolidated; further takes the view that, for start-ups, account should be taken of a joint venture’s business indicators, but not those for an enterprise linked with that joint venture, provided that there are no further connections between a start-up and linked enterprises and it is not an artificial construct;

Amendment 71 #

Paragraph 7

Amendment 72 #

Paragraph 7

Amendment 73 #

Paragraph 7

Amendment 74 #

Bendt BENDTSEN, Krišjānis KARIŅŠ, Gunnar HÖKMARK, Seán KELLY

Paragraph 7

7. Welcomes the Commission’s start- up and scale-up initiative; views the promotion of entrepreneurship as important for economic growth in the EU; cCalls on the Commission to ~~introduce a two-year transitional period during which enterprises which no longer qualify for SME status would retain that status~~look into new fundraising initiatives for entrepreneurs and start-ups such as crowdfunding, to assess how these could benefit SMEs and if they should be promoted; furthermore the need for a legislative framework to frame such practices in the EU would need to be also evaluated;

Amendment 75 #

Paragraph 7

Amendment 76 #

Rolandas PAKSAS

Paragraph 7

7. Welcomes the Commission’s start- up and scale-up initiative; views the promotion of entrepreneurship as important for economic growth in the EU; believes that special treatment should be applied to sole proprietorships, which lie almost wholly outside the scope of support measures; calls on the Commission to introduce a two-year transitional period during which enterprises which no longer qualify for SME status would retain that status;

Amendment 77 #

Caroline NAGTEGAAL, Pavel TELIČKA, Angelika MLINAR, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Kaja KALLAS

Paragraph 7

7. Welcomes the Commission’s start- up and scale-up initiative; views the promotion of entrepreneurship as important for economic growth in the EU; calls on the Commission to ~~introduce a two-yea~~evaluate the need and feasibility of introducing a further transitional period during which ~~enterprise~~scale-ups which no longer qualify for SME status would retain that status;

Amendment 78 #

Paragraph 7

7. Welcomes the Commission’s start- up and scale-up initiative; views the promotion of entrepreneurship as important for economic growth in the EU; calls on the Commission to introduce a two-year transitional period during which ~~enterpris~~for example high-growth companies which no longer qualify for SME status would retain that status;

Amendment 79 #

Jens GEIER, Patrizia TOIA, Martina WERNER

Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Calls on the Commission to support SMEs operating specifically in the area of the social economy through its policies whose main driver is not economic viability but social benefit;

Amendment 8 #

Recital B

B. whereas SMEs are disproportionately affected by administrative burdens and financial obstacles by comparison with larger firms and regardless of their organizational structure; whereas at EU ~~and~~, Member State, regional and local level further efforts could be made to create an SME-friendly environment which go beyond the political pledges already given;

Amendment 80 #

Paragraph 8

8. Takes the view that economic diplomacy instruments employed at EU level, such as the Mission for Growth, could be used to address economic challenges and exploit economic opportunities at global level more effectively; calls on the Commission to step up its efforts in that area, without creating duplicate structures; calls, in that connection, for an ‘Export growth in relation to enterprise size’ indicator to be developed and for additional support to be offered to small enterprises with high export volumes;deleted

Amendment 81 #

Paragraph 8

Amendment 82 #

Paragraph 8

8. Takes the view that economic diplomacy instruments employed at EU level, such as the Mission for Growth, could be used to address economic challenges and exploit economic opportunities at global level more effectively; calls on the Commission to step up its efforts in that area, without creating duplicate structures; calls, in that connection, for an ‘Export growth in relation to enterprise size’ indicator to be developed and forCalls on the Commission to step up its efforts to help SMEs to take the utmost advantage from economic opportunities; calls, in that connection, not to focus merely on additional support to be offered to small enterprises with high export volumes but on developing domestic demand;

Amendment 83 #

Bendt BENDTSEN, Krišjānis KARIŅŠ, Gunnar HÖKMARK, Seán KELLY

Paragraph 8

Amendment 84 #

Paragraph 8

8. Takes the view that economic diplomacy instruments employed at EU level, such as the Mission for Growth, could be used to address economic challenges and exploit economic opportunities at global level more effectively; calls on the Commission to step up its efforts in that area, without creating duplicate structures; ~~calls, in that connection, for an ‘Export growth in relation to enterprise size’ indicator to be developed and for additional support to be offered to small enterprises with high export volumes;~~

Amendment 85 #

Paragraph 8

8. Takes the view that economic diplomacy instruments employed at EU level, such as the Mission for Growth, could be used to address economic challenges and exploit economic opportunities at global level more effectively; calls on the Commission to step up its efforts in that area, without creating duplicate structures; calls, in that connection, for an assessment of the possibility of introducing an ‘Export growth in relation to enterprise size’ indicator ~~to be developed and for additional support to be offered to small enterprises with high export volum~~in order to improve information about the international competitiveness of SMEs, partly in order to monitor the effectiveness of European and national policies;

Amendment 86 #

Paragraph 8

8. Takes the view that economic diplomacy instruments employed at EU level, such as the Mission for Growth, could be used to address economic challenges and exploit economic opportunities at global level more effectively; calls on the Commission to step up its efforts in that area, without creating duplicate structures; calls~~, i~~ on th~~at connection, for an ‘Export growth in relation to enterprise size’ indicator to be developed and for additional support to be offered to small enterprises with high export volume~~e Commission and Member States to provide information and support service about opportunities for internationalisation and ensure access to exchange of experience and good practices, in particular for small business;

Amendment 87 #

Paragraph 8

8. Takes the view that economic diplomacy instruments employed at EU level, such as the Mission for Growth, could be ~~used~~supportive to address economic challenges and exploit economic opportunities at global level more effectively; calls on the Commission to step up its efforts in that area, without creating duplicate structures; calls, in that connection, for an ‘Export growth in relation to enterprise size’ indicator to be developed and for additional support to be offered to small enterprises with high export volum and to address specific concerns of those enterprises with high export volumes, among which there are also several SMEs, under the EU Industrial Policy initiatives;

Amendment 88 #

Jens GEIER, Patrizia TOIA

Paragraph 8

8. Takes the view that economic diplomacy instruments employed at EU level, such as the Mission for Growth, could be used to address economic challenges and exploit economic opportunities at global level more effectively; calls on the Commission to step up its efforts in that area, without creating duplicate structures; calls, in that connection, for an ‘Export growth in relation to enterprise size’ indicator to be developed ~~and for additional support to be offered to small enterprises with high export volume~~in order to improve information about the international competitiveness of SMEs;

Amendment 89 #

Paragraph 8

8. Takes the view that economic diplomacy instruments employed at EU level, such as the Mission for Growth, could be used to address economic challenges and exploit economic opportunities at global level more effectively; calls on the Commission to step up its efforts in that area, without creating duplicate structures; calls, in that connection, for an ‘Export ~~growth~~potential in relation to enterprise size’ indicator to be developed and for additional support to be offered to ~~small enterprise~~SMEs with high export ~~volumes~~potential;

Amendment 9 #

Recital B

B. whereas SMEs are ~~disproportionately affected by administrative burdens and~~affected by financial obstacles byin comparison ~~with~~to larger firms, but also benefit from specific support, including financing opportunities, and simplified procedures; whereas at EU and Member State level further efforts could be made to create an SME-friendly environment which go beyond the political pledges already given;

Amendment 90 #

Paragraph 8

8. Takes the view that economic diplomacy instruments employed at EU level, such as the Mission for Growth, could be used to address economic challenges and exploit economic opportunities at global level more effectively; calls on the Commission to step up its efforts in that area, without creating duplicate structures; calls, in that connection, for an ‘Export ~~growth~~potential in relation to enterprise size’ indicator to be developed and for additional support to be offered to ~~small enterprise~~SMEs with high export ~~volumes~~potential;

Amendment 91 #

Paragraph 9

Amendment 92 #

Paragraph 9

Amendment 93 #

Paragraph 9

9. ~~Is concerned that, despite~~Recognises the considerable contribution theyat MidCaps make to employment and growth by virtue of their productivity, ~~MidCaps (enterprises that have outgrown the SME definition but still have typic~~yet believes that the introduction of the new category of MidCaps is diluting the effectiveness of the SME definition; in particular including a criteria ´family-run´ would be misleading, as family businesses can be smally, medium- sized ~~structures) are being neglected by policy-maker~~or large, listed or unlisted; equating ´family businesses´ to SMEs is neglecting the fact that there are also very large multinational corporations that are family businesses; recalls~~, therefore, for a definition to be established for these companies based on the criteria that they are family-run, have high equity ratio and employ up to 3000 people;~~ its resolution from 8 September 2015 calling the Commission to propose a statistically workable Europe-wide definition of ‘family business’ – developed together with Eurostat –, taking into account the different circumstances in the Member States; reminds that MidCaps capabilities often exceed the capabilities of medium- sized enterprises in terms of access to human, financial and technical resources and hence very solid management structures as well as frequently inherit strong market positions;

Amendment 94 #

Paragraph 9

9. Is concerned of the fact that, despite the considerable contribution they make to employment and growth ~~by virtue of their productivity, MidCaps (enterp~~, several categorises ~~that have outgrown the SME definition but still have typically medium-sized structur~~of enterprises) are ~~being neglected by policy- makers; calls, therefore, for a definition to be established for these companies based on~~not yet clearly defined in the EU, thus running the cri~~teria that they are family-run, have high equity ratio and employ up to 3000 people~~sk of being underestimated by policy-makers;

Amendment 95 #

Paragraph 9

9. Is concerned that, despite the considerable contribution they make to employment and growth by virtue of their productivity, MidCaps (enterprises that have outgrown the SME definition but still have typically medium-sized structures) are being neglected by policy- makers; calls, therefore, for a definition to be established forConsiders it necessary that European, national, regional and local institutions should devote more attention to businesses with structures typical of micro enterprises and MidCaps on account of these co~~mpanies based on the criteria that they are family- run, have high equity ratio and employ up to 3000 people~~nsiderable contribution they make to employment and growth by virtue of their productivity;

Amendment 96 #

Paragraph 9

9. ~~Is concerned that, despite the considerable contribution they make to employment and growth by virtue of their productivity, MidCaps (enterprises that have outgrown the SME definition but still have~~Recalls that MidCaps (undertakings that are too large to meet the definition of SMEs but which still have structures typically of medium-sized ~~structures) are being neglected by policy- makers; calls, therefore, for a definition to be established for these companies base~~enterprises) help to create jobs and generate growth by virtue of their productivity. On the basis of their particular features, MidCaps should con ~~the criteria that they are family- run, have high equity ratio and employ up to 3000 people~~stitute a separate category of reference entities for public incentive policies and have the benefit of an ad hoc definition independent of that of SMEs;

Amendment 97 #

Paragraph 9

9. Is concerned that, despite the considerable contribution they make to employment and growth by virtue of their productivity, MidCaps (enterprises that have outgrown the SME definition but still have typically medium-sized structures) are being neglected by policy-makers; calls, therefore, for a separate definition to be established for these companies ~~based on the criteria that they are family-run, have high equity ratio and employ up to 3000 people~~to make sure that their importance for the economy is considered without taking the risk of enlarging the SME definition to an extent that would facilitate its misuse and weaken the status of SMEs that really need it;

Amendment 98 #

Paragraph 9

9. Is concerned that, despite the considerable contribution they make to employment and growth by virtue of their productivity, small MidCaps (enterprises that have outgrown the SME definition but still have typically medium-sized structures) are being neglected by policy- makers; calls, therefore, for a definition to be established for these companies based on the criteria that they are family-run, have high equity ratio and employ up to 30500 people; stresses that that must not under any circumstances have a negative impact on the existing SME definition and the support measures stemming from it;

Amendment 99 #