Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

✍ Scribed by Kenneth Dyson

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 97
• Series: Spicers European Policy Reports
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The single European market after 1992 presents a major challenge to small and medium-sized companies in the Community. Whether it is developing exports and/or fighting off new imports, Europe's entrepreneurs will have to `think European'. Moreover, the European Community institutions themselves have developed special policies designed to promote the interests of Europe's smaller companies. This volume explains how the EC's policies towards small and medium-sized enterprises have developed and what they currently entail. It guides the reader through the various EC policy initiatives and the new legislation - including that in the `1992' package - relevant to the smaller business company. It offers summaries of the key EC documents concerned, and presents a full listing of all the other relevant proposals and policies. Like the others in this series, the volume is both comprehensive and up-to-date: it discusses not only what the EC has done which is relevant to small businesses, but also what it is proposing to do in the future.

✦ Table of Contents

BOOK COVER......Page 1
HALF-TITLE......Page 2
TITLE......Page 4
COPYRIGHT......Page 5
CONTENTS......Page 6
FOREWORD......Page 7
THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY: ITS ROLE, INSTITUTIONS, AND LEGISLATION......Page 11
PREFACE......Page 15
SECTION I INTRODUCTION......Page 16
THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SME POLICY......Page 17
The Rationale of EC Policy for SMEs......Page 19
The History of EC Policy for SMEs......Page 22
The SME Task-Force and the Action Programme......Page 26
Implementing the Action Programme 1986–8......Page 32
Prospects for SME Policy After 1988......Page 36
FURTHER READING......Page 38
APPENDIX......Page 40
SECTION II SUMMARIES OF KEY EUROPEAN COMMUNITY PROGRAMMES ON SMEs......Page 41
Community’s General Export Promotion Programme......Page 42
Exports to Japan......Page 43
Project Opportunities in the Mediterranean Countries......Page 44
Project Opportunities Under the Lomé Convention......Page 45
Business Co-operation Between EC and ACP Firms......Page 47
The Removal of Physical Barriers......Page 48
The Schengen Group......Page 49
Removal of Technical Barriers......Page 50
Opening Up Public Procurement Contracts......Page 52
Freedom of Movement of Capital and Integration of Financial Services......Page 54
Promoting SMEs by Competition Policy Provisions......Page 55
Promoting SMEs by Company Law and Tax Law Provisions......Page 57
The European Social Fund......Page 63
Promoting SMEs in EC Regional Policy......Page 71
Specific Community Measures......Page 72
Promoting SMEs in EC Rural Development Policy......Page 73
Promoting SMEs in EC Research and Development Programmes......Page 74
Promoting SMEs in Innovation Policies......Page 76
Promoting SMEs by Loan Finance Support......Page 82
Promoting Business Co-operation Amongst SMEs......Page 84
Providing Information for SMEs......Page 88
SECTION III COMMISSION DOCUMENTS OF RELEVANCE TO SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED ENTERPRISES......Page 90
I: POLICY PROPOSALS AND MEMORANDA......Page 91
II. COMMISSION INFORMATION PUBLICATIONS......Page 94
III. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE DOCUMENTS......Page 96