EEA Waves - The Sound of SMEs

On Wednesday, 16 November 2022, The Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers (ZPP) organised a debate in partnership with the European Enterprise Alliance (EEA), SME Connect, and Baltic Power on the contribution of offshore wind to the Baltic Sea Member States' energy transformation in the European Parliament. This episode explains the main details presented by Pierre Tardieu, Chief Policy Officer of Wind Europe about multiple steps to achieve wind power results. Mr Tardieu highlighted the need to increase the role of offshore wind in the EU's long-term energy mix and discussed some key challenges to fulfilling its potential on the Baltic Sea and in the EU. Mr Tardieu emphasised particularly the need to speed up the permitting process for ongoing and new projects. The other challenge is maintaining the EU supply chain, as we currently witness increased competition from technology providers from other markets, particularly China.

As the outcome of the invasion of Ukraine, energy prices have risen all over the world, in this episode of ''EEA Waves: The sound of SMEs'', we will take a closer look at the solutions to make energy reachable in Europe and together with our partners and members, how we undertake strategic legislative initiatives aimed at effective energy transformation. 

In this episode, we discussed with Nazar Bobitski who is the country representative of ZPP - Ukraine and consulted the current economic and social situations of both EU businesses and Ukrainian citizens, towards EU membership. Ukraine holds very strategic importance in the current agenda, however, how will the membership affect the business both in Europe and in Ukraine? 

We will find out about the solutions in the episode. 

In this episode, Marcin Nowacki, Vice-President of the Polish Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers, President of the EEA, and Member of the European Economic and Social Committee discusses the European Commission's Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy. As Member of Group I – the Employers Group of the EESC, and Rapporteur for the Opinion on the Strategy, Marcin highlights what offshore renewable energy is, the maturity of the technology, the need for a balanced European approach for the benefit of all, and the need to better assess the cost of wind energy. 

EEA Secretary General Glenn Cezanne welcomes Dr. Matthias Bauer, Senior Economist at the European Centre for International Political Economy to discuss the Mobility Package in light of the recent evaluation by the European Commission on the expected impacts of the vehicle's compulsory return to the Member State and the application of cabotage quotas. 

This time round, Glenn and Marcin build on the discussion from the previous podcast related to SME-related EU policy, specifically focusing on the European Pillar of Social Rights. They evaluate the complexities of an EU minimum wage, something in the EU pipeline which raises many concerns, especially in real and legal terms. 

To start off the year, EEA Waves' hosts Marcin Nowacki and Glenn Cezanne discuss key SME issues at EU level. They discuss the "good" and the "bad" in current and upcoming initiatives, touching upon policies such as the European Pillar of Social Rights and the recent SME Strategy,  arguing in favor of vigilance when imposing burdens on SMEs. The challenges inherent to the current economic and social climate should not be forgotten. 

In their first podcast, Marcin and Glenn look at the Digital Services Act ahead of the planned publication by the European Commission, focusing on pitfalls and opportunities that the DSA could bring. They particularly discuss the country of origin principle, gatekeeper designations and illegal content.