Romanian SMEs are invited to answer questions on a survey launched by SME Europe, the European People’s Party’s (EPP) economic organization, at the level of all Member States, which will be the basis for recommendations to European institutions, announced on Monday MEP Iuliu Winkler (RMDSZ, EPP), First Vice-President of SME Europe.

“Ten months have passed since the first measures were taken at EU level to limit the economic effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Last spring, SME Europe conducted a study based on a questionnaire sent to EU Member States. Now, we have come to the conclusion that we need to repeat this type of survey and call on European SMEs to complete our questionnaire. I think it is important for Romanian SMEs to make their voices heard by participating in this survey; the answers they will provide will act as the basis for a new set of recommendations we will submit to the European institutions”, said the First Vice-President of SME Europe. Completion of the SME Europe questionnaire can be done until the 15th of February by accessing the link: http://bit.ly/survey_SMEImpactAssissment_Covid19

“For the EPP, and implicitly for the EPP Group in the European Parliament, the priority of 2021 is jobs, both in terms of maintaining existing ones and creating new opportunities. With regard to this priority, there are many lines of action that we are considering in the EPP and in the parliamentary group, with SME support being a key line of action. Here, SME Europe continues to ensure the direct link between the business environment and decision-makers at European level”, said Iuliu Winkler. The MEP added that the national Recovery and Resilience Plans (nRRP), which will be finalized in the near future, must treat the SME sector as a horizontal priority.  “In the coming months, European governments will finalize their national Recovery and Resilience Plans. European priorities are clear: digitalisation and a sustainable economy, capable of supporting direct action against climate change. In this European framework, nRRPs must treat SMEs as a horizontal priority. That is why we continue to be active in SME Europe and to offer viable recommendations whose implementation will turn this crisis into new opportunities for European SMEs”, underlined Iuliu Winkler.

The previous SME Europe study on the impact of Covid-19 on SMEs was published in May 2020 and can be accessed here: http://www.smeeurope.eu/sme-impact-assessment-for-covid-19/. The recommendations of SME Europe were structured in four categories: access to finance, administrative simplification, restoration of the EU internal market and investments in infrastructure.