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Explore EU financing programmes and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) for SMEs in need of financial assistance. Learn about debt financing, equity instruments, grants, and more.
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SME Financing: EU Programmes and EFSI Roger Havenith Head of Unit Financing of competitiveness, innovation and employment policies European Commission DG Economic and Financial Affairs Ljubljana, 15 May 2015
SMEs in the EU • 28 million SMEs in the EU: • account for more than 99% of all companies • employ 66.5% of all private-sector workforce • Slovenia • 115,000 SMEs • 72% of all private-sector workforce • Very flexible • Stable employer, source of organic growth and innovation Share of total number of EU companies Source:Eurostat, Commission Communication on Modern SME policy for Growth and Employment
SMEs: Access to finance in Slovenia • Short term interest rates for loans • Slovenia: higher rates than in peer countries (SK – in the euro area; PL, CZ – outside euro area) • Higher rates than EU average (EA – in red)
Eco-system for SME Financing • Healthy fiscal situation, sound financial markets: Assistance to countries in difficulty, creation of new legislation and institutional infrastructure • Legislation supporting financial market efficiency (work on pan-European banking market or truly European venture capital industry) • Entrepreneurship support • catering for the needs of SMEs, • information and partnership network, • start-up programmes, incubators, awards 4
Information and Networking • One-stop-shop for SMEs: Enterprise Europe Network • 600 business support organisations in 53 countries • Information and advice on EU funding programmes, EU legislation and other matters related to doing business in other European countries • Facilitating cross-border business cooperation, R&D and technology transfer • Feedback to theCommission on EU legislation
Financial Support to SMEs • Grants (for research, innovation, climate change, etc.) • Financial instruments • Guarantees to financial intermediaries that provide lending to e.g. infrastructure projects, SMEs, persons at risk of social exclusion • Equity/risk capital,e.g. venture capital to SMEs with high growth potential or risk capital to infrastructure projects • Other risk-sharing arrangementswith financial intermediaries in order to increase the leverage capacity of the EU funds • or a combination of the above with other forms of EU financial assistance in single instruments (e.g. grants, or as joint instruments with Structural Funds) 6 Source: Financial regulation (EC) No 966/2012, Commission delegated regulation of 29.10.2012 on the rules of application
1998-2013: EU Financial Instruments for SMEs Debt Financing • SME Guarantee Facility 2007-2013: So far approx. EUR 595m of EU budget generated EUR 19.3bn of lending to 368,000 SMEs, volumes are increasing fast. • Risk-Sharing Finance Facility (RSFF) 2007-2013: Dedicated guarantee for SMEs, supporting lending of 2.8bn to research and innovation intensive SMEs and small mid-caps. Equity • Investments in venture capital funds 2007-2013: So far, EUR 553m of EU resources generated EUR 3bn of total investment volume available, amounts growing fast. 458 highly innovative SMEs covered so far. In addition • Structural Funds 2007-2013: EUR 11.5 billion dedicated to financial instruments for SMEs 7
Financial Instruments for 2014-2020 Investment Plan - EFSI EU-level Instruments Regional / National Instruments Research, Development Innovation Horizon 2020 Equity and Risk Sharing Instruments (EUR 2.7 bn, including at least EUR 1.5bn for SMEs) SME Window (SMEs and small mid-caps) Infrastructure and Ionnovation Window Instruments under European Structural and Investment Funds Joint with EU level Off-the shelf instruments Tailor made instruments Growth, Jobs and Social Cohesion Competitiveness & SME (COSME) Equity & guarantees (EUR 1.4 bn) Creative Europe Guarantee Facility (EUR 121m) Erasmus+ Guarantee Facility • (EUR 517m) Social Change & Innovation (EASI) • (EUR 192m) Infrastructure Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Risk sharing (e.g. project bonds) and equity instruments
SMEs: Where to look? • http://access2eufinance.ec.europa.eu 9
New Investment Plan (EFSI) SME Window • Support to SMEs and mid-caps is foreseen. A specific SME Window will be created. • Financial support must be additionalto what will have been delivered under the existing and already foreseen programmes in the period 2015-2018. • The SME Window should have a budget of up to EUR 5 billion • The SME Window should mobilise more than EUR 75 billion of investment. Around 185,000 SMEs and small mid-caps are expected to benefit from the support.