On Thursday, 10th of April 2014 SME Europe, in cooperation with SME Global and the Mission of Switzerland to the European Union organised a breakfast on the future of EU-Swiss relations.

Dr. Paul RÜBIG MEP, honorary President of SME Europe and Member of the EP Committee on Industry, Research and Energy welcomed all participants by indicating the significance of a lively discussion about the current situation and the importance of informing people about the options. He stated that “we now have the chance to create a new situation, which should be a win-win solution for all of us.”

David O’SULLIVAN, Chief Operating Officer of the European External Action Service was the first keynote speaker. He emphasised that “Switzerland is a hugely important partner for the EU”, including economic, cultural and family ties. Nevertheless, the referendum on February 9th 2014, in which 50.3 percent of Swiss voters supported the introduction of quantitative limits to immigration, has “potentially far reaching consequences”. The vote requires the Swiss government to unravel the present agreement, and to request its adjustment from the EU in order to be in consistence with the new article introduced into the Swiss constitution through the referendum. O’Sullivan pointed out, that “this is not going to be an easy conversation to manage”, in particular as long as Switzerland fails to extend the freedom of movement to Croatian citizens. As long as this problem is not solved through the signature of the relevant protocol, the EU suspends negotiations on Swiss full participation in the research programme Horizon 2020 and the exchange programme Erasmus+. Finally, he highlighted that we should not forget that close relations with Switzerland are beneficial to both Switzerland and the EU, and that it is therefore in mutual interest to find a solution to the challenge created by the vote.
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SME Europe of the EPP and MEP Albert DESS invited to a working breakfast on Wednesday 19. of March to discuss the Free Trade Agreement between the United States of America and the European Union (TTIP), with the focus on chances and risks for agriculture and trade.

Mr. Klaus KEHREIN from the German permanent representation, Head of Division for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, gave an introduction to the topic. Firstly he wanted to mention that Germany, as an exporting economy is highly in favor of Free Trade, while he also wanted to highlight the risks. Firstly, he is concerned that the high level of consumer protection in Europe will not be the same after the agreement. His other concerns are for the quality of the goods. While the use of hormones is accepted in the USA, in Europe, for reasons of uncertainty for health, it is forbidden. Also the meat from cloned animals is not accepted in Europe, due to animal protection and ethical reasons. Last but not least he mentioned the use of chlorine to sanitize chickens. He thinks that chemicals should not make up missing hygiene. These topics should be addressed before we can enter an agreement. (read more…)

SME Europe organized in cooperation with CETS a Working Breakfast on “Surface Engineering – European SMEs for a Global Sustainable Manufacturing Future” on Wednesday March 19th 2014 in the European Parliament’s Salon des Membres.

Dr. Paul RÜBIG MEP, EP Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, moderated the event and welcomed the guests with a reminder that the EU wants an industry participation in the GDP of 20% by 2020. He also pleaded for a Europe which is more attractive for investments and proclaimed that the future of Europe is highly dependent on the wellbeing of SMEs.

The keynote speaker Dave ELLIOTT, president of the European Committee for Surface Treatment (CETS) opened his speech with an explanatory note on surface engineering, emphasizing the new products made possible by it. He commented that current issues like energy efficiency and photovoltaic cells could be facilitated and improved through surface engineering techniques; therefore the success of a sustainable manufacturing future also relies on surface engineering being used accordingly. At the end Mr. ELLIOTT warned that sustainable component manufacturing is impossible without surface engineering and highlighted that one cannot work without the other. He wished for more certainty from the European Commission on how regulations will change over the following years and for a quick action to the current situation, otherwise there might be great damage on the European economy. (read more…)

The EPP Election Congress, which was held in Dublin on 6th and 7th of March 2014, presented a great opportunity for SME Europe to establish an even higher presence on European level, expand its network even further and branch out to new political partners. We strongly believe that due to our efforts at the Congress – in addition to our previous ambitious endeavors – constitute a stepping stone in order for SME Europe to enhance the promotion of SMEs in Europe.

“Future of Post and E-Commerce”

Our first Working Breakfast “Future of Post and E-Commerce”, held on Thursday, 6th March 2014, brought together important stakeholders who actively discussed the future of E-commerce in Europe focusing on its impact on parcel services.

SME Europe Honorary President and member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, Dr. Paul Rübig MEP, did the honors of introducing and moderating the event. He particularly emphasized the importance of a well-organized relation between the two service industries, due to their interdependent position within the European market.

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On March 4th 2014 SME Europe together with the Austrian Chamber of Commerce was organizing a Working Breakfast on “The future EU Climate and Energy policy: Political Ambitions vs. Reality” in the Salon de Membres of the European Parliament.

Dr. Paul RÜBIG, MEP opened the event by stating that beside the other three aims of the European Energy plan, namely reduction of CO2 emissions, a rise in the quota of renewable energy and more energy efficiency, there should be a third one: an increase of the industry quota to 20% of the national GDPs. He pointed out that Germany and Austria through having a very high industry quota are economically better off especially considering the unemployment rate than Greece and France, with a very low percentage of industry. He also praised the Austrian climate policy for its innovativeness compared to European Standards. (read more…)