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SME Europe of the EPP

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Brussels
SME Europe of the EPP

SME Europe, is the strong voice of SMEs within the European People's Party (EPP). Together we shape This provides the best framework conditions for SMEs to grow.

The purpose of “SME Europe” (Small and Medium Entrepreneurs of Europe) is to shape EU policies in a more SME friendly way. SMEs are the backbone of the European economy as it is especially them that create sustainable jobs, growth and prosperity. We closely cooperate with national business organisations and European policy makers within the EPP political family, with a particular focus on the Euro

pean Parliament. As a pro-active organisation within the political networks of Christian-Democrats and Conservatives, we want to bring a new spirit and a fresh entrepreneurial wind into the political debate. The interests of SMEs are best served when market mechanisms can freely make an impact. It is about time to contain the role of governments, so we need to have less and smarter state intervention.

08/06/2026

👉 As Vice-President of SME Europe of the EPP, my priority is simple: making sure Europe’s competitiveness agenda works for SMEs.

Family businesses, craftsmen, start-ups, young farmers and local entrepreneurs are not a side topic of the European economy — they are its foundation. They create jobs, drive innovation and strengthen local communities.

In the European Parliament, I work for rules that are ambitious, practical and proportionate. Europe must maintain high standards, but regulation should not become a barrier to growth. Too often, good ideas lead to unnecessary bureaucracy and burdens that smaller businesses are least equipped to handle.

This principle guides my work on the Right to Repair, sustainable aviation, and digital files such as the Digital Product Passport. Sustainability and digitalisation must create opportunities for SMEs, not new costs and complexity.

Through my work with entrepreneurs and farmers in Croatia, I see every day how much potential exists outside major economic centres. What they need are fair conditions: less red tape, better access to finance, digital tools, skills and clear, workable rules.

A competitive Europe is a Europe that listens to entrepreneurs. The green and digital transitions will only succeed if SMEs are treated as partners and given the support they need to grow, invest and create jobs.

01/06/2026

.winzig 👉 Europe is a continent of savers, but unfortunately it is not yet a continent of investors. Many people deliberately choose security. Around €10 trillion is currently held in bank deposits — capital that could greatly contribute to financing growth and investment, and that represents enormous potential!

Financing is not a secondary issue, especially in challenging economic times, it can be a powerful policy lever, particularly for young people.

Young people consume information differently. They go online, where they are exposed to hidden advertising, misleading content, and disinformation. That is why financial literacy is our most important line of defence. People who understand how markets work and can assess risk make better decisions and are far less likely to become victims of scams or manipulation.

The same principles should apply to so-called finfluencers. It cannot be right that banks are subject to strict supervision while investment advice promoted by finfluencers often faces little or no oversight at all.

Looking ahead, we need less bureaucracy, greater responsibility in the digital sphere, and a regulatory framework that empowers rather than hinders participation. I believe this is the right path towards a more competitive and resilient European Union.

26/05/2026

👉 In far too many sectors, the Single Market still exists more as a principle on paper than as a reality people experience in everyday life. In the services sector alone, there are still more than 5,000 protected professional titles, all regulated differently across Member States. Applications have to be submitted, reviewed, certified, stamped and approved.

In practice, the free movement of services still does not truly exist. Integration within the Single Market has reached a plateau. And when the Commission measures the main barriers to trade, we see barely any real progress in recent years. That is a serious failure on the part of the Council.

There is plenty of talk about the Single Market, but in practice Member States continue with gold-plating, overinterpretation and administrative barriers that restrict free enterprise.

Even when the Commission proposes the most obvious and straightforward improvements, such as simplifying and digitalising the posting of workers procedures, several Member States refuse outright, while others push for new rules that make the system even more complicated than it already is.

Member States now need to step up, drop the prestige politics, stop talking and finally deliver on the promises of the Single Market.

Here in Parliament, we are ready to pursue real simplification. We want one Europe, one market. That is good for businesses. Good for the economy. And it creates jobs and prosperity across Europe.

18/05/2026

👉 Is Europe losing the AI race? Depends on which race we’re running.

If the aim is to transform our economy - history shows us that the winners are often not the inventors, but the adopters. If the aim is technology people can trust - our rules and values put us ahead.

Economically, our edge is in applied AI rather than foundational models. EU’s deep industrial base, strong research, high-quality sectoral data, and trusted standards give us a credible path to use applied AI to transform real world systems like manufacturing, energy, health, defence, and public services.

👉🏻 But we must fix our critical weakness - the inability to scale. Europe still lacks risk capital, compute infrastructure and the capacity to turn research into global companies (and do it at speed). If we get this right, everything else will follow. Scaling applied AI will drive demand for European solutions, attract talent and capital, boost competitiveness and anchor our sovereignty in tangible economic power.

It’s equally important that we don’t measure winning in AI only in economic terms, but in the values we set and the societies we build. One of Europe’s unique qualities is in being able to set standards that balance advancement with responsibility and protect our way of life.

In the end, we should focus less on winning the race and more on shaping what’s at the finish line. In that sense, if we say that in AI the U.S. moves bold, and China moves heavy - Europe must move purposefully.

07/05/2026

👉 Ensuring that European data primarily benefits European companies is the foundation of true tech sovereignty. We need to enable responsible data use while giving European companies the space to test, build, and compete globally. 🇪🇺

A strong European tech ecosystem requires seamless cooperation across cloud, cybersecurity, and software providers. Open-source solutions are a key part of this, but we also need faster interoperability standards and a greater awareness of European alternatives.

At the same time, we must keep harmonizing and simplifying the European market, and strengthen enforcement of the Digital Markets Act for companies operating from outside the EU. 💪

20/04/2026

👉 I have high expectations for EU Inc. (or what many probably know as the 28th regime.)

Because it may turn out to be one of the most interesting reforms for Europe’s startups right now, without us perhaps having fully discovered it.

Because Europe is not short of ideas. Europe needs companies that scale.

We have over 40,000 tech startups and are responsible for a fifth of the world’s research publications. But we lack coherence.

When a startup wants to grow in Europe, it does not just meet one market, but 27 different sets of rules, administrative requirements and legal systems.

The ambition of EU Inc. is actually simple. It stands on a single corporate framework that makes it easier to start, grow and operate across the EU.

However, if companies are to be able to operate across countries with one company form, it also requires that the rules are enforced uniformly and predictably. Otherwise, we will end up with the worst of both worlds: one new regime and 27 different interpretations.

And then the gain disappears.

Therefore, this is not just a technical reform. It is a question of whether Europe will be a place where companies are built or a place where companies are abandoned to scale them.

07/04/2026

👉 With negotiations in the European Parliament starting today, 7 April, the European Business Wallet enters a crucial phase.

I welcome the proposal. It has real potential to simplify cross-border business and reduce administrative burden, especially for SMEs.

The EBW can become a practical tool for companies to identify themselves, exchange documents and complete legally binding procedures seamlessly across the EU — with the same legal value as paper-based processes. The focus must be on usability, interoperability and real impact, not added complexity.

As shadow rapporteur, I see key priorities for the negotiations:

🔹 Use must remain voluntary. There can be no de facto obligation for businesses to use the system. It must be a tool companies choose because it works.

🔹 Public authorities must implement it in a realistic and workable way, reflecting the diversity of national, regional and local systems.

🔹 Costs and administrative burden must stay low. The wallet should simplify processes, not add complexity. SMEs must be able to use it without friction.

🔹 Interoperability is essential. Existing systems must be integrated, not duplicated. No parallel structures.

🔹 The proposal should strengthen European digital solutions and reduce dependencies.

The European Business Wallet must simplify in practice — not complicate or duplicate.

The European Parliament now has a key role to ensure it delivers real value for Europe’s businesses.

30/03/2026

💬 ... it takes time and leadership ...

Listen to the 2nd Episode of Trade Matters 🎙️🎧 with Antonio López-Istúriz White, Jerry Zagoritis, Tom Moylan and Asdis Olafsdottir hosted by Dr. Eoin Drea of Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies

[LINKED IN BIO]

27/03/2026

TRADE HAS A PR PROBLEM. HOW DO WE FIX IT? 🎙️🎧
with Tom Moylan, Asdis Olafsdottir, Jerry Zagoritis and Antonio López-Istúriz White hosted by Dr. Eoin Drea from Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies

Trade policy is negotiated in a careful, technical language, but debated in public through simplified narratives used either as a weapon or as a promise of instant prosperity. In this episode, we explore why EU trade has such a communication problem, and how the gap between Brussels and everyday life has allowed misunderstandings to grow. Above all, we explore what’s missing most in the current trade debate.

Listen to the episode on YouTube!
or other major podcast platforms
[LINKED IN BIO]

26/03/2026

Can the EU strengthen competitiveness without clearly defining what competitiveness actually is?

🔹 Put SMEs at the centre
EU funding remains too complex and often better suited to large companies. The Competitiveness Fund must be designed so SMEs can genuinely access, participate, and scale.

🔹 Make the place-based approach work for SMEs
Local ecosystems are where innovation actually happens — but overly complex models risk missing SMEs altogether. The approach must be simplified and grounded in real local needs.

🔹 Recognise local and regional authorities as key enablers
They are not just beneficiaries, but coordinators and testbeds of innovation ecosystems.
As Granfalk highlighted:

“At the local level, we have universities, research centres, and creative ecosystems — in many ways, this is where SMEs actually operate and innovate.”

🔹 Simplify programme design
Over-engineered calls and administrative burdens continue to favour larger players. Simplicity and usability must be core principles.

🔹 Ensure flexibility without undermining predictability
Long-term investments — especially in strategic technologies — require stability. Flexibility should not come at the cost of long-term planning certainty.

🔹 Define competitiveness clearly
The CoR opinion adopted in the latest plenary sets out a concrete definition linking competitiveness to productivity, innovation, and territorial resilience — providing a much-needed anchor for EU policy.

👉 If Europe is serious about competitiveness, it must design policies that SMEs can actually use — at local level, at scale, and in practice.

Adres

Rue D'Arlon 46
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Maandag	09:00 - 18:00
Dinsdag	09:00 - 18:00
Woensdag	09:00 - 18:00
Donderdag	09:00 - 18:00
Vrijdag	09:00 - 18:00

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