Trans-Atlantische samenwerking voor midden- en kleinbedrijven (en)

Helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) tap into markets on the other side of the Atlantic was the central topic of the fourth European Union-United States SME Workshop, held in Washington, DC, on December 3 and 4, 2012.

At the workshop, two business support networks - the EC’s Enterprise Europe Network and the US International Trade Administration - signed a Memorandum of Understanding on promoting cooperation. Specific areas for cooperation include the promotion of SME events and business partnering activities, participation in sector-specific or thematic seminars and the exchange of information on SME networking opportunities.

‘We must collaborate on how to help SMEs tap the full economic potential of the global market’, said Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director General of DG Enterprise and Industry. ‘If you are international, you grow faster, you increase employment faster and pay higher wages than non-exporting SME firms’.

The EU-US workshop is an extension of the objectives described in the Letter of Intent signed by European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani i and United States Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank in May 2012.