Rapporteur Talks

SMEs play a significant role in the economic well-being of the EU economy, accounting for over 60% of employment across the EU27 and the UK. SMEs are also a key driving factor for economic inclusivity. They push forward economic innovation and flexibility given their importance to entrepreneurship and new market entry, adoption of new innovative technologies, and overall wider benefits to market competition and ultimately to consumers.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, many SMEs expressed cautious optimism, with a positive economic outlook for growth and the opportunity to invest. But COVID-19 has seen many SMEs in a fight for survival. Despite the benefits of digitalisation, the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2020 data found SMEs lag behind larger businesses in adoption of nearly all technologies despite being connected to the internet at the same rate. This ‘digital divide’ presents policymakers with the task of supporting SMEs in the economic recovery.

While all SMEs have been impacted and face risks due to COVID-19, it is clear that the more digitalised SMEs - operating in sectors such as financial/insurance services and professional services - have identified new business opportunities in the pandemic economy at a higher rate than the less digitalised businesses, such as those operating in the construction, manufacturing and hospitality sectors.

Challenges related to availability, capacity and capability impede the ability of SMEs to digitalise and ultimately find new business opportunities. SMEs therefore look to policymakers to help with availability of tools and technologies required for digitalisation, such as high-speed connectivity in urban and rural areas; capacity (financial and time) to engage with digital transformations; and the capability to gauge, plan, implement and optimise their digital transformations through digital skills.

Listen to this EURACTIV – GIGAEurope Digital Debate to find out how policymakers can support SMEs to maintain their economic resilience post-pandemic. Questions included:

- Are current EU and national policies equipped to support SMEs in the cases of availability, capacity and capability?
- How can policy best mitigate a digital divide amongst European SMEs by addressing the financial constraints that impede the ability of SMEs to digitalise?
- Should the opportunities presented by the use of digital (e.g. flexible working) be prioritised in ongoing government policy support?
- What should a tailored policy approach look like for SMEs, as there can clearly not be a ‘one size fits all’ approach for ongoing SME support?

The Farm to Fork strategy, which outlines several targets to green the EU’s agri-food sector, has sparked debate ever since its unveiling in May 2020.

The outcomes of some initial studies on the Farm to Fork’s impact concluded that the Farm to Fork’s goals are in reach but risk a significant reduction in EU food production and farmers’ income, underlining their fears about the strategy’s potential impact on the sector.

Environmental organisations have been quick to highlight the shortcomings of these. They say the studies do not consider the full range of benefits that more sustainable production would bring to the sector.

A main divide between the two sides is that industry wants an overall impact assessment of the Farm to Fork strategy, whereas environmental organisations believe that evaluating each measure in the strategy would be sufficient.

Listen to this EURACTIV Virtual Conference to find out what we still do not know about the impact of the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy on farmers, consumers, and the environment. And what policy instruments will be needed to reach the targets?

In November 2020, the European Commission launched the Pact for Skills – a shared engagement and approach to skills development. The Pact is aimed to maximise the improvement of existing skills (upskilling) and training in new skills (reskilling). It calls on industry, employers, social partners, chambers of commerce, public authorities, education and training providers and employment agencies to work together and make a clear commitment to invest in training for all working age people across the European Union.

The Pact builds on the European Pillar of Social Rights, the EU’s compass for a social and inclusive recovery. It emphasises the promotion of lifelong learning for all, building strong skills partnerships, monitoring skills supply/demand and anticipating skills needs, and working against discrimination and for gender equality and equal opportunities.

As reskilling is part of the National Recovery and Resilience Funds, taking account of regional, national and European developments is imperative for a fair and resilient recovery.

Join this EURACTIV Virtual Conference, the third event of the 'Future of Work Lab debate series', to discuss where we stand one year after the launch of the Pact for Skills and how skills are becoming 'the currency of the future'. Questions to be addressed include:

- How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted concepts like lifelong learning and skills partnerships?
- What lessons can be drawn from the pandemic regarding skills supply/demand and anticipating skills?
- What are national systems doing to enforce upskilling of their workforce in the framework of National Resilience and Recovery Plans?
- What role can industry play in ensuring a fair and efficient upskilling of the workforce?
- What role can the EU play in skills demand and supply needs for workforce and companies at regional, national and European level? How is this foreseen in the NRRPs?
- Can the Recovery and Resilience Facility play a role in the implementation of the EU Pact for Skills?

Listen to this EURACTIV Virtual Conference to find out about the Commission's Impact Assessment for the transport sector in the latest climate package. If modelling data is seen to contradict real world data, what are the consequences? And who is responsible for ensuring that modelling assumptions evolve with real-world data, technology advances and the actual provisions of EU laws?

In order to meet the EU’s climate and energy targets for 2030 and reach the objectives of the European Green Deal, the Commission wants to direct investments towards sustainable projects and activities. The ongoing gas and electricity price shock developing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted awareness of the need to make our economies, businesses and societies less dependent on a steady supply of fossil fuels, even before considering the air pollution and CO2 emissions caused by their combustion.

Listen to this EURACTIV Virtual Conference to find out about the EU taxonomy for sustainable activities, and whether nuclear energy should continue to be excluded.

Energy poverty is a situation in which households are unable to access essential energy services, due to a combination of low income, high expenditure of disposable income on energy, and poor energy efficiency. With nearly 34 million Europeans unable to afford to keep their homes adequately warm in 2018, energy poverty is a major challenge for the EU.

Listen to this EURACTIV Virtual Conference to see how addressing energy poverty can help reduce inequalities in the European Union and the role that Member States should play in protecting vulnerable citizens.

How much do we know of the way food and drink SMEs adapt to legislation decided in Brussels? How do they cope with new requirements and transitional periods? What are their main challenges? Some SMEs are ahead of the curve, but their efforts sometimes go unnoticed.

Listen to this audio to find out more about implementation of the Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy and their impact on European food and drink SMEs.

In order for food producers to be able to keep bringing innovative solutions to the market and enable the transition of our food systems, the food ingredients sector claims its role is essential in the successful implementation of the F2F strategy. Hence the importance to have a regulatory framework recognising and promoting innovation alongside evidence-based policies.

Listen to this EURACTIV Virtual Conference to find out how, through science- driven innovation, it will be possible to keep creating future-proof food and drink products responding to varied and evolving consumer demands while being safe, convenient and enjoyable for all.

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent acceleration of digitalisation, a shift has taken place in which customer interactions have increasingly moved from an offline to an online environment. This has resulted in online advertising becoming even more essential for smaller businesses, enabling them to interact with consumers who visit physical stores less.

Listen to this EURACTIV Virtual Conference to discuss how the voice of SMEs can be elevated and how the role of digital tools can be further enhanced to help drive the recovery of European SMEs.

Covid-19 hat ganz Europa zwanghaft in eine Position des Umdenkens und der Neuorganisation gerückt. Als Reaktion auf die ökonomischen und sozialen Folgen der Pandemie verabschiedete die Europäische Union das größte Konjunkturprogramm aller Zeiten: ‘NextGenerationEU’. Das 806.9 billion Euro Paket verfolgt vor allem das Ziel, Europa grüner, digitaler und robuster zu gestalten.

Mit 8.1 billion Euro, als Teil der Aufbau- und Resilienzfazilität, ist die Förderung von landwirtschaftlicher Entwicklung ein bedeutsamer Teil des Pakets. Traditionelle Politikbereiche wie die gemeinsame Agrarpolitik (GAP) sollen modernisiert werden. Nicht nur sollen Landwirte direkte finanzielle Hilfe bekommen, das Programm will auch zur grünen Umstrukturierung der gesamten landwirtschaftlichen Industrie beitragen.

Die Notwendigkeit zur nachhaltigen Landwirtschaft ist ein wesentlicher Punkt der in 2023 in Kraft tretenden Reform der GAP. Deutschland hat bereits Pläne zur Umsetzung vorgeschlagen, wobei Agrarministerin Julia Klöckner die Festlegung der nationalen Gesetzgebung seit Juni 2021 stark vorantreibt. Darin wird zum Beispiel definiert unter welchen Konditionen Landwirte Subventionen erhalten können.

Die neuen Beschlüsse werden unter anderem von Landwirtschaft und Umweltschützer*innen kritisiert. Reicht die Gesetzeslage in Deutschland aus, um sowohl Landwirten ausreichende Unterstützung zu bieten und gleichzeitig den Klimaschutz voranzubringen?