European SME Week

The first European SME Week, taking place from 6 to 14 May 2009, is a campaign to promote entrepreneurship across Europe and to inform entrepreneurs about support available for them at European, national and local level. It allows SMEs to discover an array of information, advice, support and ideas to help them develop their activities. Throughout 2009, events are taking place to inform, assist and connect existing and potential entrepreneurs and also help them develop new ideas and benefit from personalised information and support. The SME Week encourages and supports SMEs to reach their full potential. It also marks an opportunity to inspire potential entrepreneurs to 'take the plunge' and work towards achieving their aspirations. The European SME Week is co-ordinated by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry, but most of the events and activities taking place during the SME Week are organised by business organisations, support providers, regional and local authorities, and others in the participating countries. The SME Week is one of the measures implementing the Small Business Act, the first comprehensive SME policy framework for the EU and its Member States. The SME Week seeks to: - Inform: provide and disseminate information on what the EU and the national authorities are offering by way of support to small businesses - Support: create an EU-SME partnership, underlining how Europe is stronger with more competitive SMEs and also the fact that the EU is ready to offer them support and advice - Inspire: motivate existing SMEs to broaden their outlook and further develop and grow their business - Share: float ideas and share the experiences of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs - Encourage: convince young people that entrepreneurship is an attractive career option