The ALDE Group today celebrated in the European Parliament's Industry Committee the successful adoption of a key report on small and medium-sized enterprises - "competitiveness and business opportunities".

Liberal and Democrat MEPs from three different committees played a key role in securing a number of demands added to this report, in line with the ALDE campaign "Boost for SMEs", launched earlier this year. They co-signed 57 amendments in line with the SME campaign manifesto including a 'fitness check' amendment (with the aim of removing obsolete and ineffective EU laws that affect SMEs) and amendments to improve access to information on available funding through structural and cohesion funds (one stop shops), to improve rural broadband (to enable working from home), and to remove red tape in national implementation of EU employment law (no "gold-plating").

Commenting today, the ALDE Shadow Rapporteur Kent JOHANSSON MEP (Centerpartiet, Sweden) said: "The adoption of this report is a step in the right direction, both for SMEs in Europe and for the ALDE SME campaign. Small businesses hold the key to providing the growth we need to restore Europe's global competitiveness."

Jürgen CREUTZMANN (Germany, FDP), Parliament's Rapporteur for the COSME Programme, said: "We need a new target for the reduction of administrative burdens on SMEs and vitally, better access to finance. I am delighted the Industry Committee also called today for an increase in the budget for the forthcoming COSME Programme, which is the key SME-specific instrument we will have for the future."