On 25 September, during the Renew Europe SME Task Force meeting in the European Parliament, Renew Europe CoR President François Decoster and other participants provided concrete examples of how local and regional authorities support SMEs in their local communities. 

Renew Europe CoR is dedicated to promoting an entrepreneurial spirit, as SMEs are key to European recovery. They employ more than 100 million Europeans and are vital to the economy, showing the creativity and innovation of our entrepreneurs.  

Almost 40 locally elected representatives from 15 different countries, contributed Renew Europe CoR’s new “Supporting SMEs at the local and regional level” brochure, bringing together several examples of local and regional support to SMEs by Renew Europe CoR members. 

President Decoster, Mayor of Saint-Omer, France, as well as members Mirja Vehkaperä, Tobias Gotthardt, Thomas Rohden and Dainis Turlais presented their actions to the chair of the Task Force, as well as Martina Dlabajová MEP (ANO, CZ) and other MEPs such as Mauri Pekkarinen (Keskusta, FI), Róża Thun Und Hohenstein (Polska 2050, PL) and Iskra Mihaylova (MRF, BG). 

Gotthardt spoke about a centre for AI in his region of Bavaria, Germany, which aims to future-proof SMEs in a digitalising world: “People want less bureaucracy. They want to see a Europe which truly delivers. Through initiatives such as this one, we can make this a reality, and provide concrete support to local businesses on the ground, fit for the digital age.” 

Today we’re participating in the @RenewEurope SME Taskforce to show how local & regional authorities support #SMEs.

Our group is dedicated to promoting an entrepreneurial spirit: @fdecoster, @MirjaVehkapera, @TobiGotthardt, @ThomasRohden & @DainisTurlais provide examples ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/aJd4fDtXxE

— Renew Europe CoR (@RenewEuropeCoR) September 26, 2023

“With this brochure, we can see real and tangible impact for our European SMEs. We must now focus on using this potential, we must promote this initiative, and with the right tools continue to provide the necessary support to entrepreneurs,” Dlabajová said following an exchange on local, regional, national and European cooperation with SMEs. 

The Renew Europe SME Taskforce includes 23 MEPs from all over Europe, representatives of Renew Europe CoR and other partners who gather their experience, knowledge and skills to look at new European legislation from an SME perspective.