The Director-General for Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission, Daniel Calleja Crespo, and the President of the Spanish Banking Association, José María Roldán Alegre, signed an agreement this morning in the presence of Begoña Cristeto Blasco, Secretary General for Industry and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, for the launch of an information campaign on European financial instruments aimed at supporting access to finance for SMEs and entrepreneurs.
These financial instruments primarily consist of guarantees, counter-guarantees, and venture capital funds that the Commission makes available to SMEs through financial intermediaries. Their origin lies in the European Commission’s COSME program, the first program dedicated exclusively to small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs.
Improving access to finance for SMEs is one of the fundamental pillars of the European Commission’s SME policy for the 2014–2020 period, given the significant impact the economic crisis has had on access to finance for this type of company in Europe.
The Commission believes that the active participation of the banking sector in promoting these programs and financial instruments can be an important and relevant communication channel to maximize their awareness and use by SMEs.
Likewise, the AEB has considered this initiative very positive, and has therefore shown its interest and commitment to giving it the widest possible dissemination. With the signing of this document, the AEB, through its associated banks, will inform SME clients and other potential clients in this segment about the financing instruments offered by the European Commission to facilitate access to finance for small businesses.
Spain thus becomes the first country in Europe to implement this pioneering initiative, launched as a pilot project, for the dissemination of additional financing possibilities offered through European funds.
This commitment was signed within the framework of the meeting of the European SME Envoys, which is taking place today in Madrid at the Ministry of Industry headquarters. The SME Envoys are high-ranking officials representing the 28 Member
States who meet periodically to open channels of communication between European and national administrations, on the one hand, and SMEs and their representative organizations, on the other, with the aim of acting as promoters of the interests of small and medium-sized enterprises.
This was the first time the SME Envoys held a meeting in Spain, which was attended by H.R.H. the Prince of Asturias.
Additional information
AEB:
Encarna Pérez (eperez@aebanca.es)
European Commission:
Íñigo Urresti (inigo.urresti@ec.europa.eu)
