BOUNDARIES IN ACCESS TO EUROPEAN FUNDS

1
BOUNDARIES IN ACCESS TO EUROPEAN FUNDS
SMEs and cohesion policy

• Limited access to pre-accession and European
  Structural Funds,
• Insufficient amount of supporting budgets ,
• Insufficient information concerning where and
  what kind of support one can apply for,
• Lack of self assets,
• Lack of advance payments,
• Difficult application procedures,
• other boundaries.

Norbert Pruszanowski
2
Participation of SMEs and Micro-Enterprises in
EU-Funds
SMEs and cohesion policy

• Chances
• Consultation at the microscopic level
• Temporary Infrastructure of economic
  self-management
• Low threshold programs, which are equity
  compensating

• Barriers
• Petition costs
• Bureaucracy
• Support rate
• Time horizon
• Innovation concept
• Tendency of nation states, to subsume own
  promotions

Reiner Nolten
3
Instruments for Innovation and internationalisatio
n of SMEs
SMEs and cohesion policy
Future Focus on Strategic objectives
Past General Support
Improve participation of SMEs to EU research
programmes
How Strengthen role of intermediary
association as promoter of stimulation actions
towards SMEs, micro Synergies of Associations
with the Enterprise Europe Network (NCP),
Direct support to SMEs to participate in EU
calls (ie Expoloratory awards)
Luisa Minoli
4
The Role of the Intermediary Associations(IA)
SMEs and cohesion policy

• SMEs are not able to act and lobby individually.
• IA are necessary for effective participation of
  SMEs in regional development.
• The IA of SMEs have to be recognised and accepted
  by state and public authorities as social
  partners.
• The financing of IA is the crucial issue.
• The role of IA of SMEs
• representing the interests of SMEs in social
  dialogue,
• support for SMEs in training their employees,
• providing advice to SMEs,
• accompanying SMEs in dealing with state and
  public authorities,
• support innovation activities of SMEs.

Ladislav Krocek
5
Recipe for Success
SMEs and cohesion policy
?
EU programmes

• Individuals
• NGOs
• Private entrepreneurs
• Public sector

Gottsunda Factory
Christina Linderholm
6
SMEs and cohesion policy
SMEs and Governance

• Report
• An insufficient number of intermediary organs in
  the elaboration and the implementation of
  European programmes. Existance of programmes that
  still do not reach small and micro enterprises.
• Proposals
• To forsee explicit orientation of funds to small
  and micro enterprises.
• To establish a permanent strategic partnership.
• To reinforce the capacities of the intermediary
  organs.
• To better articulate between levels of
  implementation and assurance of a dynamic
  follow-up.

Jean-Louis Maître