A new enterprise network has been established across Europe to provide support and services for small businesses, it was announced today.
The Enterprise Europe Network comprises more than 500 contact points and over 4,000 experienced staff, making it the largest business support network in the continent.
Although the network will support businesses of all sizes, it will be targeted primarily at small and medium-sized firms, the European Commission (EC) said.
Businesses have been promised a ‘one-stop-shop’ for support services, gaining access to help from a number of organisations, including research institutes, universities, technology centres and business development agencies, all in one place.
The network will help entrepreneurs find business partners, particularly those looking to work with people in other European countries, and will arrange on-site visits to establish a company’s individual needs, the EC revealed.
In particular, the network has been designed to help small firms grasp business opportunities abroad, both in other EU member states and further afield, and facilitate cross border trade. According to the EC, just one in 10 small firms currently does business outside its own country.
The network will also aim to help small firms understand and identify sources of EU funding, and follows the launch earlier this week of a consultation on the EC’s Small Business Act.
This new Act will seek to ‘put small and medium-sized businesses at the forefront of decision-making in the EU and to introduce measures to unlock [their] growth potential’.
EC vice president Günter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry policy, commented:
“The crucial role of [small firms] and entrepreneurs for Europe's competitiveness has now been well recognised. We aim at fully unlocking this immense potential.”
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2008
