http://www.ueapme.com The ten most recent press releases from UEAPME in reverse chronological order. Please contact pressoffice@ueapme.com for more information. en http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/logo.gif http://www.ueapme.com 120 64 http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090702_protypos.pdf http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090702_protypos.pdf Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:04:00 +0200 Brussels, 2 July 2009 – The “Protypos – personality of the year” award, which celebrates and recognises the activities of personalities who played a significant role in promoting the cause of SMEs in the European standardisation arena, will be assigned in Brussels today (Thursday). Sponsored by NORMAPME, the organisation representing small businesses in the European standardisation and certification systems, the 2009 Protypos prize will go to Commission Vice President Günter Verheugen, in recognition of his long-standing commitment towards European crafts and SMEs. Commissioner Verheugen's attention to SMEs was recently re-confirmed in the Small Business Act proposed last year. The text increases financial support to promote the participation of SMEs and the defence of their interests in standardisation and calls for less expensive and more accessible standards. http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090618_joint_pr_parental_leave.pdf http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090618_joint_pr_parental_leave.pdf Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:25:00 +0200 On 18 June 2009, in the presence of Vladimir ŠPIDLA, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, the European Social Partners, have formally adopted an agreement revising their 1995 Framework Agreement on Parental Leave. This is a milestone in the 25-year history of the European Social Dialogue as it is the first time that European social partners have agreed on the revision of a pre-existing Framework Agreement. It is their 7th Framework agreement since the original Parental Leave agreement was concluded in 1995, later transposed into a EU Directive in 1996. http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090610_joint_pr_ETUC_UEAPME_conference.pdf http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090610_joint_pr_ETUC_UEAPME_conference.pdf Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:33:00 +0200 The current economic and employment crisis calls for an increased partnership between SMEs and trade unions by exploring various forms of social dialogue not only at company level, but also at local, regional, sectoral, national and European level. A joint project initiated by ETUC, the European Trade Union Confederation, and UEAPME, the European craft and SME employers' organisation aimed at identifying common economic and social concerns between trade unions and SMEs. At the closing conference in Brussels today, ETUC and UEAPME presented an expert report containing a detailed analysis of the four topics that were singled out for discussion during the project. http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090603_pr_comm_empl.pdf http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090603_pr_comm_empl.pdf Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:41:00 +0200 Brussels, 3 June 2009 – UEAPME, the European craft and SME employers' organisation, welcomed the set of measures proposed today by the European Commission to tackle the effects of the current economic crisis on employment in Europe. According to UEAPME, the European Commission focused on the right priorities and struck the right balance between actions on the supply side and on the demand side of the economy. UEAPME was particularly pleased with the Commission's proposal to boost vocational training, which now includes an ambitious quantitative target of 5 million apprenticeships before 2010, and with the suggested joint EIB-EC micro-credit scheme for loans to micro enterprises, although it warned that its implementation phase will be crucial. http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090603_pr_swedish_pres.pdf http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090603_pr_swedish_pres.pdf Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:16:00 +0200 Brussels, 3 June 2009 – The incoming Swedish Presidency of the EU must break the vicious circle of low confidence in the future economic prospects leading to poor economic results, according to UEAPME, the European craft and SME employers' organisation. The UEAPME Administrative Council, meeting today in Stockholm, adopted a policy document identifying four priority areas for the Swedish Presidency in the second semester of the year. Against a worsening economic background and facing an expected increase in unemployment, SMEs must be granted access to finance, must be supported to maintain as many people as possible at work and must be protected against unnecessary red tape, stressed UEAPME delegates. The Administrative Council also insisted on the need for more efforts to promote entrepreneurship in Europe, calling on the EU to lead the way by appointing a candidate with direct SME policy experience as the next European Commissioner for Enterprise. http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090514_pr_economic_forum.pdf http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090514_pr_economic_forum.pdf Thu, 14 May 2009 12:06:00 +0200 Brussels, 14 May 2009 – The economic landscape that will emerge from the present downturn must cater to the needs of the real economy rather than to those of financial speculators, according to UEAPME, the European craft and SME employers' organisation. Speaking today on the occasion of the Brussels Economic Forum, which will deal this year on how to shape the economic recovery, Economic and Fiscal Policy Director Gerhard Huemer stressed the need for increased supervision and independent risk assessment for financial products as a key lesson learned from the crisis. UEAPME called on Member States to carefully plan their consolidation programmes for the next years and not to deviate from the Stability and Growth Pact and from their reform agendas. An increased coordination of national economic policies is also needed, concluded Mr Huemer. http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090507_pr_employment_summit.pdf http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090507_pr_employment_summit.pdf Thu, 07 May 2009 11:26:00 +0200 Brussels, 7 May 2009 – European small businesses will not be able to maintain the current employment levels unless urgent actions are put in place, according to UEAPME, the European craft and SME employers' organisation. Speaking today at the extraordinary summit organised in Prague by the Czech Presidency of the EU to discuss the impact of the present downturn on employment, Secretary General Andrea Benassi unveiled a one page document detailing nine SME priorities in this respect. Access to finance and support to keep employment levels stable top the list, alongside the need to ensure equal access for SMEs to labour market instruments and social protection tools. UEAPME also spoke against proposals for tax hikes, which would be totally inappropriate in the present business climate, and called for further structural reforms to put in practice the “flexicurity” principles at national level. The policy answers given now will determine whether the crisis will feed through the whole economy or, on the contrary, the recovery process will kick off, concluded the organisation. http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090506_pr_TST_and_Scoreboard.pdf http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090506_pr_TST_and_Scoreboard.pdf Wed, 06 May 2009 10:28:00 +0200 Brussels, 6 May 2009 – Despite all the policy instruments put in place in the last months, a worryingly wide gap remains between measures taken and their concrete effects on small businesses, according to a survey conducted by UEAPME, the European craft and SME employers' organisation. The “Think Small Test” and “SBA Implementation Scoreboard”, released today to coincide with the launch of the first European SME Week, aim to assess the extent to which the European institutions and national governments are fulfilling their commitment to respect the “Think Small First” principle and to implement the promises made in the Small Business Act. The European Parliament fares relatively better on administration and business support measures and worse on legislation, while the European Commission ranks worst in administration. Member States behave better on support to internationalisation and innovation as well as on State aid, while much remains to be done to secure access to finance and public tenders and to grant non-fraudulent entrepreneurs a second chance should they fail. http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090428_pr_WTD_no_deal.pdf http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090428_pr_WTD_no_deal.pdf Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:14:00 +0200 Brussels, 28 April 2009 – UEAPME, the European craft and SME employers' organisation, regretted yesterday's failure to reach a compromise on the Working Time Directive between the European Parliament and the Council in the so-called conciliation procedure. According to the organisation, clear, simple and flexible rules on the organisation of working time are fundamental for small businesses to ensure their competitiveness on the market, all the more so during the present downturn. Unfortunately, the negative outcome of the talks between Parliament and Council will certainly not help to find a good solution on this highly important piece of legislation for small employers, denounced UEAPME. http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090428_joint_pr_impact_assessment.pdf http://www.ueapme.com/IMG/pdf/090428_joint_pr_impact_assessment.pdf Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:04:00 +0200 Brussels, 28 April 2009 - Two leading European business organisations, EUROCHAMBRES and UEAPME, have today called on the European Commission, Parliament and Council for significant improvements in the measurement of the costs and benefits of EU policy on SMEs. In a letter prepared to coincide with their participation in a CEBRE (Czech Business Representation to the EU) / Czech Presidency event on impact assessments, EUROCHAMBRES and UEAPME stressed that the ‘Think Small First' principle, a key recommendation of the Small Business Act, should be systematically applied across all institutions throughout the life-cycle of EU legislative negotiations. More broadly, the two organisations applied pressure on all three institutions to improve their track record on impact assessments.