How does
SME Europe
work?

We are a strong voice for Europe's SMEs of all kinds.

SME Europe of the EPP advocates for the rights of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across various sectors. Our top priority is for our Board, Senators, and Working Group Chairs to shape and refine EU legislation that supports SMEs throughout Europe. To achieve this, we leverage the expertise of national SME associations and industry specialists. This strong collaboration and unified approach are at the core of our mission.

Entrepreneurs receive early insights into legal developments, while we gain their direct evaluations and assessments of the potential impact on their businesses.

Our goal is to connect SME leaders with legislators, fostering direct dialogue and collaboration.

SME Europe serves as a platform for SME leaders to share their ideas and voice concerns about legislative challenges and opportunities by directly engaging with decision-makers. This direct connection is crucial, as SMEs operate on the ground, navigating daily business activities. Their firsthand experience enables them to provide the most accurate and immediate assessments of initiatives developed in Brussels.

SMEs play a vital mediatory role in today’s society.

Europe’s SME sector is the driving force of the EU economy. However, for businesses to thrive, they need policymakers who understand the essence of entrepreneurship. We advocate for policies that empower and support SMEs, fostering creativity, innovation, continuous learning, agility, and an entrepreneurial mindset across society.

We are committed to supporting SMEs in Europe in adapting to climate neutrality, harnessing the benefits of digitalization, and enhancing access to finance and significantly reducing the bureaucratic burdain.

Access to finance, coupled with excessive bureaucracy, remains one of the greatest challenges for SMEs in the EU. Finding solutions to these persistent issues will foster innovation and help ensure Europe’s global competitiveness.

How Does SME Europe Work?

We collect information, opinions, and policy positions both locally in Brussels and across EU member states.

We primarily gather insights through organized public hearings and events, providing a platform for diverse stakeholders—including representatives from the European Parliament, the European Commission, other institutions, industry leaders, associations, academia, and, most importantly, SMEs—to engage and exchange ideas. These interactions foster collaboration, ensuring that SME perspectives are well-represented in policymaking.

These discussions serve as a platform for the fair exchange of opinions, knowledge, and positions, with the ultimate goal of developing common solutions or, at the very least, fostering a deeper understanding of different perspectives, challenges, and visions for the future.

AAnother way to contribute is by engaging with our working groups. These efforts aim to significantly increase the number of SMEs adopting sustainable business practices, integrating digital technologies, reducing regulatory burden, improving market access, and enhancing access to finance. Ultimately, our goal is to make Europe the most attractive place to start, grow, and scale up a small business within the single market.

Jörgen Warborn

Member of the European Parliament
President of SME Europe

Jörgen Warborn is a Swedish entrepreneur and politician of the Moderate Party. Jörgen Warborn studied Economics and Leadership at the International University of Monaco. He also studied International Relations at the London School of Economics, and Entrepreneurship at Babson College in Boston. Warborn started his first business at the age of 17 and has, since then, started and managed several small businesses, primarily in the IT and Marketing sector.

Warborn was Mayor of Varberg Municipality from the 2010 general election until his election into the Swedish Parliament in 2014. He was re-elected to the Swedish Riksdag in 2018. In addition to his role in parliament, Warborn briefly served as a Member of the Swedish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in 2019 and he has been national Chairman of the Moderate Party’s business council since 2016.

In this current term of the European Parliament, Jörgen Warborn is a Member of the Committee on International Trade and a Substitute Member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Committee on Legal Affairs. In addition, he is the EPP Group Coordinator in the Committee on International Trade.

FORMER PRESIDENTS

Ivan Štefanec

Member of the European Parliament Ret.
President 2018 - 2024

Is a Slovak politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Slovakia. He is a member of KDH, part of the European People’s Party.

Ivan Štefanec has had over 20 years of business experience and management with Ernst & Young, Coca-Cola and Business Alliance of Slovakia. He entered politics in 2006 and served as Member of Parliament, Governmental Plenipotentiary for Euro implementation, Chairman of EU Affairs Committee at the Slovak National Council. Ivan Štefanec was elected as Member of the European Parliament in the 2014 elections. He has since been serving as member of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) focusing on Single Market, SMEs, Digitalisation

Bendt Bendtsen

Member of the European Parliament Ret.
President 2015 - 2018

Is a Danish politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Denmark. He is a member of the Conservative People’s Party, part of the European People’s Party.

Bendt Bendtsen served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry (from 2001 to 2008) under Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Minister for Economy and Business Affairs and Minister for Nordic Cooperation (from 2001 to 2008). Bendt Bendtsen was elected as Member of the European Parliament in the 2009 elections. He has since been serving as member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Industry (ITRE)

Nadezhda Neynsky

Member of the European Parliament Ret.
President 2012 - 2015

Is a Bulgarian politician and is currently the Ambassador from Bulgaria to Turkey. She is a member of the Union of the Democratic Forces, part of the European People’s Party.

Nadezhda Neynsky served as Minister of Foreign Affairs (from 1997 to 2001), Member of the Bulgarian Parliament (from 2001 to 2008) and Member of the European Parliament (from 2009 to 2014) as a member of the Committee on Budgets (BUDG)