Alfred Sant jitlob lill-Kummissjoni Ewropea timpenja ruħha dwar fond favur intrapriżi żgħar u medji.

Fond bħal dan isostni opportunitajiet ta’ investiment u finanzjament għall- intrapriżi żgħar u medji u jindirizza d-diversi ostakli għall-metodi tagħhom ta’ ġbir ta’ kapital pubbliku u privat. Jista’ wkoll jgħin kumpaniji żgħar anke dawk bi proġetti riskjużi, biex jistimulaw l-investiment.

Alfred Sant kien rapporteur f’isem il-grupp tas-Soċjalisti u d-Demokratiċi fil-Parlament Ewropew dwar ir-rapport għal “Żvilupp kontinwu tal-Unjoni tas-Swieq Kapitali – titjib għall-aċċess għall-finanzjament tas-suq kapitali, b’mod partikolari mill-intrapriżi żgħar u medji, u iktar parteċipazzjoni għall-investitur”.

Mill-pubblikazzjoni tal-ewwel abbozz tar-rapport f’Ġunju 2020, Alfred Sant ħadem fuq titjib fit-test, sabiex jirrifletti t-tħassib ta’ kumpaniji żgħar, biex iressaq investituri lejn is-swieq ta’ ekwità fejn ishma jinħarġu u jiġu nnegozjati u biex ikunu salvagwardjati l-istandards stabbiliti wara l-kriżi finanzjarja tal-2008.

B’segwitu għar-riżoluzzjoni tal-Parlament Ewropew dwar żvilupp kontinwu tal-Unjoni tas-Swieq Kapitali, il-Kummissjoni Ewropea laqgħet il-ħolqien ta’ fond li jispeċjalizza f’Offerti Pubbliċi Inizjali għal intrapriżi żgħar u medji. Madankollu ma kkommettietx ruħha favur proposta tanġibbli jew skeda ta’ żmien għal azzjoni konkreta f’dan ir-rigward.

“It-taħlita ta’ finanzjament ta’ intrapriżi żgħar u medji Ewropej bilkemm inbidlet matul l-aħħar snin u baqgħet dipendenti fuq self bankarju. Ir-rapport dwar it-titjib tal-aċċess għall-finanzjament tas-suq kapitali, b’mod partikolari mill-intrapriżi żgħar u medji, appella b’mod ċar għall-ħolqien u l-prijoritizzazzjoni ta’ fond kbir, privat u pan-Ewropew biex jappoġġja l-finanzjament tal-intrapriżi żgħar u medji”, qal Alfred Sant.

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Alfred Sant asks Commission to commit to timeline for SME fund 

Such a fund would support investment and financing opportunities for SMEs and address numerous barriers to their methods of raising public and private capital. It could also help small young firms even with risky projects, to stimulate investment.

Alfred Sant has acted as a rapporteur on behalf of the Socialists & Democrats group in the European Parliament on the report for a “Further development of the Capital Markets Union – improving access to capital market finance, in particular by SMEs, and further enabling retail investor participation”. 

Since the publication of the first draft of the report in June 2020, Alfred Sant has worked on improvements to the text, to reflect the concerns of small companies, to get retail investors into equity markets where shares are issued and traded and to safeguard the standards put in place since the 2008 financial crisis.

In its follow up to the European Parliament resolution on further development of the Capital Markets Union, the European Commission welcomed the creation of an SME IPO fund. It however did not further commit to engage in a tangible proposal or timeline for a concrete action in this regard.

“The financing mix of European SMEs has barely changed over the past years and remains reliant on bank loans. The CMU report on improving access to capital market finance, in particular by SMEs, has clearly called for the creation and prioritisation of a large, private and pan-European fund to support SME funding”, Alfred Sant said.