Iuliu Winkler, MEP, has been elected, this Wednesday, through a unanimous vote, as First Vice President of SME Europe - the lobby organization for SMEs of the European People's Party (EPP) - in its General Assembly which was organized on the sidelines of the EPP Congress in Madrid.

The General Assembly saw the election of the organization's new president, Bendt Bendtsen, MEP, former Minister of Economy and Vice Prime Minister of the Danish Government, as well as the naming of SME Europe's new leadership, an analytical overview of its activity since the last elections, plans for future and the welcoming of new members.

"In the upcoming period it is necessary to consolidate both avenues of action of SME Europe, the presence of national SME associations in Brussels, in order to be connected as efficiently as possible to the most important opportunities these could benefit from, while there is also a need of an intensified presence of SME Europe in the Member States, through conferences, seminaries and meetings with SME representatives", affirmed the UDMR MEP, in a thanking speech for his naming as First Vice President.

SME Europe ambitions, as a lobby organization of the EPP, to monitor the European legislative process and influence it towards simplifying and eliminating bureaucracy, for the creation of a climate that favors SMEs in Europe to the largest extent possible. 

"Concerning Romania, but also other states from the east of Europe, we have to assist SMEs to use as much as possible the opportunities spurring from the European common market, in order to then efficiently move on to the opportunities of the global market. For this reason it is pertinent to improve the organization of the various associations representing SMEs in Romania, to bring more efficiency and convince the small entrepreneurs of the benefits of association”, further added Iuliu Winkler.

The General Assembly of SME Europe also benefit from the presence of former European Commissioner, Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Parliament, and Jaques Santer, former President of the European Commission, both honorary members of the organization.

UDMR is a member of the EPP´s lobby organization for SMEs since 2008, and Iuliu Winkler has held one of its Vice-President positions since 2012.

UDMR participates at the EPP Congress in Madrid, held on 21-22 October, with a delegation led by President Kelemen Hunor and Executive President Kovács Péter