1. MICRO: Enhancing Competitiveness of Micro-enterprises in Rural Areas
Module No 10: EU wide tools and resources for rural micro-enterprise development
Prepared by the Consortium for the project: “Irish Rural Link – National University of Ireland Maynooth- CDI – EEO GROUP SA- IHF asbl – IDP - Internet Web Solutions SL”

2. The EU Small Business Act
Overview
How many slides?
14 slides in total
How long to read and listen?
15 minutes (not including exploring the links provided within slides)
What is the benefit?
See aim and expected learning in following slides

3. The EU Small Business Act
Unit Aim
The unit aims to describe how the EU Small Business Act supports micro-enterprises across Europe

4. The EU Small Business Act
Expected Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module you will be able to:
Know what the EU Small Business Act is and how it supports micro and small businesses
Get familiar with the “Think Small First” principle and why it is relevant for micro and small businesses

5. The EU Small Business Act
The EU Small Business Act – SBA (2008) (1/2)
The “Small Business Act” for Europe (SBA) introduces a comprehensive set of measures to establish the framework of all actions in support of SMEs
The main priorities are:
Promoting entrepreneurship
Reducing regulatory burdens
Facilitating access to finance
Enhancing access to markets and internationalisation

6. The EU Small Business Act
The EU Small Business Act – SBA (2008) (2/2)
It anchors the “Think Small First” principle in law and policy making to strengthen SMEs’ competitiveness by tackling the obstacles that hamper SMEs’ potential to grow and create jobs
It applies to all companies which meet the SME criteria, including micro-enterprises

7. The EU Small Business Act
The EU Small Business Act – 10 principles (1/3)
Create an environment in which entrepreneurs and family businesses can thrive and entrepreneurship is rewarded
Ensure that honest entrepreneurs who have faced bankruptcy quickly get a second chance
Design rules according to the “Think Small First” principle
Make public administrations responsive to SMEs’ needs

8. The EU Small Business Act
The EU Small Business Act – 10 principles (2/3)
Adapt public policy tools to SME needs: facilitate SMEs’ participation in public procurement and improve use of State Aid possibilities for SMEs
Facilitate SMEs’ access to finance and develop a legal and business environment supportive of timely payments in commercial transactions
Help SMEs to benefit more from the opportunities offered by the Single Market

9. The EU Small Business Act
The EU Small Business Act – 10 principles (3/3)
Promote the upgrading of skills in SMEs and all forms of innovation
Enable SMEs to turn environmental challenges into opportunities
Encourage and support SMEs to benefit from the growth of markets

10. The EU Small Business Act
The EU Small Business Act – SBA (2008)
Legislation that is guided by the “Think Small First” principle:
General Block Exemption Regulation on State Aids (GBER): it simplifies and harmonises existing rules to increase investment aid intensities for SMEs
Regulation providing for a Statute for a European Private Company (SPE): it creates a legal form for an SPE that can be created and operate according to the same uniform principles in all Member States
Directive on reduced VAT rates: it offers Member States the option of applying reduced VAT rates principally for locally supplied services, which are mainly provided by SMEs

11. The EU Small Business Act
The SBA Review (2011) (1/2)
The SBA Review proposed a set of new actions aimed at responding to the challenges resulting from the economic crisis, and further developing existing actions in line with the Europe 2020 strategy, in the following areas:
making smart regulation a reality for European SMEs
paying specific attention to SMEs’ financing needs
taking a broad-based approach to enhancing market access for SMEs
helping SMEs to contribute to a resource-efficient economy
promoting entrepreneurship, job creation and inclusive growth

12. The EU Small Business Act
The SBA Review (2011) (2/2)
Even before the EU economic crisis, the SMEs have always found it difficult to get financial assistance for innovation and growth
SBA provides SMEs with easier access to loans and venture capital from EU financial institutions through loan guarantees
Then, the simplified VAT invoicing rules definitively established e-invoicing technology: cash flow drawbacks are therefore reduced

13. The EU Small Business Act
The “Think Small First” Principle
The “Think Small First” principle recognizes SMEs’ central role by inviting legislators to fully consider SMEs’ specific needs before introducing new laws and legislation.
By putting SMEs to centre stage, the "Think Small First" principle allows national governments to enact effective legislation and tailored rules in support of SMEs.

14. Thank you for your attention 
End of Module
Thank you for your attention 