A new political leadership team for SME Europe of the EPP to continue our fight for SMEs
During the EPP Congress in Madrid, the SME Europe of the EPP held an “SME Day” which also included the General Assembly, where the elections of SME Europe were held.
We are happy to congratulate our newly elected board:
Bendt Bendtsen MEP as President, Iuliu Winkler MEP as First-Vice President, Michal Boni MEP as Vice-President, Elisabetta Gardini MEP as Vice-President, Annie Schreijer-Pierik MEP as Vice-President, Ivan Štefanec MEP as Vice-President, Angelika Winzig, Member of the Austrian Parliament as Vice-President & Treasurer, Pablo Zalba Bidegain MEP as Vice-President.
All candidates were voted visit page for unanimously.
Ambassador Nadezhda Neynsky, former President of SME Europe, was honoured to become one of our new Honorary Presidents for the great work at our Association that has been completed under her leadership in the last three years.
Furthermore we welcome Entrepreneurs-GERB from Bulgaria and Platforma Obywatelska from Poland as new members to SME Europe. These new members will strengthen our ability to make the national levels aware of the importance of SMEs for a sustainable economic system.
The new Working Group Start-Ups with the Chairs Eva Paunova MEP and Michal Boni MEP was presented and confirmed.
The new President of SME EUROPE, European Parliament Member Bendt Bendtsen said in the first statement after his unanimous election:
”SME EUROPE is the strongest political voice for SMEs in Europe. Together with my board colleagues, I will use this voice to fight against young unemployment, boost start-ups, to encourage women in business, to find better ways for financial access for Microbusiness and to cut red tape. We will have a close look on the capital & energy union, TTIP and the new digital single market in order to protect the interests of SMEs, so that they can use these important developments as an opportunity for growth.”
Dr. Paul Rübig MEP:
“As the President of SME Global and the Honorary President of SME Europe I am very glad that the board of SME Europe, one of our strongest members, will keep on fighting for Europe’s SMEs with a strong voice.”
In the frame of the SME Day there was also a working lunch on how SMEs can profit from the Digital Single market and what is needed from the regulatory framework to enable SMEs to prosper and grow through cross-border trade.
A detailled report as well as more pictures are soon to follow.