Evidence required to understand causes for non successful european small industries

Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant said that it was very interesting to hear about successful stories by European Small and Medium Sized Industries, however, in order to know how the funding to SMEs works, it would be just as important to collect information about non successful stories including firms/enterprises that didn’t obtain support from banks or that had problems to develop their business due to excess of bureaucracy. Dr Sant addressed the event “SMEs aim higher with Eurostars” at the European Parliament in Brussels which was focused on the potential of the EUROSTARS funding programme for the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the EU organised by EUREKA.

“We have to take a number of firms and follow their development, since the beginning (when they get funding from EUROSTARS) until the end, throughout all steps; not only at the end. Only through this accurate assessment and more evidence we could really understand what approach or strategy to take towards policies and tools related to the funding of SMEs.”

The Maltese MEP underlined that SMEs in the EU are very much based in their own country and they don’t move across the EU. “The idea of building a Capital Market Union could help internationalisation and to have access to funding.” Dr Sant told the Conference.

Replying to a question from the audience on why the SMEs ecosystem in the EU is less performing than the SMEs ecosystem in the US, Dr Sant said that in the EU SMEs are more based on bank lending compared to the US. Moreover, there is a more cautious approach to set up business in the EU compared to the US.

EUROSTARS is a joint programme between EUREKA and the European Commission, co-funded from the national budgets of 36 Eurostars Participating States and Partner Countries and by the EU through Horizon 2020. In the 2014-2020 period it has a total public budget of €1.14 billion (€861 million of national funding from its countries + €287 million of EU funds).

The countries participating in Eurostars through the EUREKA network of national offices are the EU 28 Member States + Canada, Iceland, Israel, Norway, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey. EUREKA is a publicly-funded, intergovernmental network, involving over 40 countries. It aims to enhance European competitiveness by fostering innovation-driven entrepreneurship in Europe, between small and large industry, research institutes and universities.

Maltese Version – L-GĦAJNUNIET LILL-INDUSTRIJI ŻGĦAR U MEDJI JRIDU JITĦADDMU B’MODI AKTAR EFFETTIVI

Irridu niżguraw is-suċċess għall-industriji żgħar u medji fl-Ewropa billi naraw li l-għajnuniet li jingħataw jitħaddmu b’mod aktar effettivi. Irridu nifhmu għala xi industriji Ewropej ta’ daqs żgħir jew medju ma jagħmlux suċċess, jekk hux minħabba nuqqas ta’ appoġġ mill-banek jew minħabba problemi burokratiċi eċċessivi li joħonquhom waqt li jipprovaw jiżviluppaw in-negozji tagħhom. Eżerċizzju bħal dan huwa importanti daqs kemm huwa importanti li nisimgħu dwar stejjer ta’ suċċess fost dawn l-industriji, qal Dr Alfred Sant waqt li indirizza l-konferenza “Industriji żgħar u medji jaspiraw aktar bil-Eurostars” fil-Parlament Ewropew fi Brussell. Il-konferenza ffokat fuq il-potenzjal tal-Programm ta’ fondi EUROSTARS għat-tkabbir tal-Intrapriżi żgħar u medji (SMEs) fl-UE organizzata mill-EUREKA.

“Irridu nieħdu numru ta’ intrapriżi u nsegwu l-iżvilupp tagħhom, mill-bidu (jiġifieri meta jieħdu l-fondi mill-EUROSTARS) sal-aħħar, jiġifieri tul l-istadji kollha; mhux fl-aħħar stadju biss. B’din l-analiżi preċiża u bil-ġbir tal-evidenza nkunu nistgħu verament nifhmu liema strateġija għandha tittieħed fil-politika u fl-għodda relatati mal-għoti ta’ fondi lil industriji żgħar u medji.”

L-Ewroparlamentari Malti saħaq li l-industriji żgħar u medji tal-UE huma bbażati ħafna fis-swieq lokali tagħhom u ftit jiċċaqalqu f’postijiet oħra fl-UE. “L-idea li tinbena Unjoni tas-Swieq Kapitali tista’ tgħin fl-internazzjonalizzazzjoni, kif ukoll biex ikun hemm aċċess għal fondi.” qal Dr Sant fil-konferenza.

Meta wieġeb mistoqsija għala l-industriji żgħar u medji fl-UE qed imorru anqas tajjeb minn dawk fl-Istati Uniti, Dr Sant qal li fl-UE l-industriji ta’ dan it-tip huma aktar ibbażati mis-self tal-bank meta kkomparati ma’ dawk fl-Istati Uniti. Fl-Ewropa hemm attitudni aktar kawta biex jinħoloq negozju fl-UE meta kkomparat mal-Istati Uniti.

EUROSTARS huwa programm konġunt bejn EUREKA u l-Kummissjoni Ewropea, ko-finanzjat mill-baġits nazzjonali ta’ 36 stat li jipparteċipaw fil-Eurostars u l-UE permezz tal-programm Horizon 2020. Fil-perijodu 2014-2020 għandu baġit pubbliku li jlaħħaq €1.14 biljun (€861 miljun minn fondi nazzjonali tal-pajjiżi + €287 miljun fondi tal-UE).

Il-pajjiżi li qed jipparteċipaw fil-EUROSTARS mill-qasam tal-EUREKA huma it-28 stat membru tal-UE, il-Kanada, Islanda, Iżrael, Norveġja, l-Afrika t’Isfel, Korea t’Isfel, Svizzera u Turkija. EUREKA hija network intergovernattiva li taħdem b’fondi pubbliċi u li tinvolvi 40 pajjiż. Timmira li żżid il-kompetittivita` permezz ta’ imprenditorija innovattiva fl-Ewropa, bejn industriji żgħar u kbar, istituti ta’ riċerka u universitajiet.