Activities of Siôn SIMON related to 2015/2320(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
How best to harness the job creation potential of SMEs? (A8-0248/2016 - Zdzisław Krasnodębski)
Amendments (63)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 28 a (new)
Citation 28 a (new)
- having regard to recommendation 2003/361 by the European Commission concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 28 b (new)
Citation 28 b (new)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 28 c (new)
Citation 28 c (new)
- having regard to the Eurofound report "Employee representation at establishment level in Europe" (2011),
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 28 d (new)
Citation 28 d (new)
- having regard to the Eurofound report "Public measures to support self- employment and job creation in one- person and micro enterprises" (2012),
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 28 e (new)
Citation 28 e (new)
- having regard to the Eurofound report "Social dialogue in micro and small companies" (2014),
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas recent Eurofound research shows that SMEs which tend to create jobs are often young, innovative, internationally active, located in urban areas and run by skilled managers, and have comprehensive growth and investment strategies;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas the social and solidarity- based economy provides employment for more than 14 million people, representing around 6.5% of workers in the EU; whereas there are 2 million social and solidarity-based economy enterprises in the EU, representing 10% of undertakings in the Union; whereas social enterprises have proven resilient during the economic crisis;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
A c. whereas trade union/employee representation and social dialogue/collective bargaining arrangements have been well documented as being not as widespread in SMEs as they are in larger companies; whereas there are considerable differences between different countries in this regard;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
Ad. whereas data on contractual arrangements and work organisation in SMEs is difficult to find in general;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
Ae. whereas according to Eurofound, working conditions including working hours are often more flexible and informally arranged in SMEs than in larger companies, in the case of many countries; whereas the initial impact of the crisis appears to have had the effect of increasing existing 'internal' flexibilities, as organisations try to cope with shifting external circumstances and demands;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Believes that in order to ensure better conditions for quality job creation for the SME sector the European Commission and the Member States must address the following problems, which are unequally present in different regions: skills scarcity and brain drain; regulatory burddifficulties to fulfil administrative requirements and regulatory uncertainty; the shadow economy; and the de facto privileged position of multinational corporations (MNCs);access to finance; the motivation of owner–managers to grow a business and take some level of risk; the shadow economy; and the de facto privileged position of multinational corporations (MNCs); 1a __________________ 1aBased on data from the Eurofound report Job creation in SMEs: ERM annual report 2015 (27 January 2016)
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Stresses the need for a regulatory environment that encourages investment that concurrently fosters sustainable growth and quality jobs;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Takes the view that tackling the above-mentioned structural problems would result, inter alia, in fairer competition and the extension of the social contribution and tax base to a higher number of economic operators, leading to lower labour and administrative costs and thus creating better condition for quality job creation;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses, however that lowering labour costs by reducing workers’' protection is not a correct means of achieving lower unemployment, and that, in addition, reducing workers’' rights and wages induces higher skills outflows, exposing SMEs to shortages of skilled workers, while at the same time generating precarity in Europe;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses, however that lowering labour costs by reducing workers’ protection is not a correct means of achieving lower unemployment, and that, in addition, reducing workers’ rights induces higher skills outflows, exposing SMEs to shortages of skilled workers;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Is concerned at the growing phenomenon of bogus self-employment across the EU, which cannot be considered in positive terms as contributing to the ‘growing number of micro-enterprises’, but, rather, undermines the image of entrepreneurshipworkers' rights and competitiveness;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Reminds the Commission that SMEs run by vulnerable groups have a harder time accessing finance, calls therefore on the Commission to assess and fight discrimination in access to finance;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Takes the view that the artificialright balance needs to be found regarding the academisation of specific professions is not helpful if one wishes ton tackleing the problem of skills scarcities in SMEs; believes that vocational training, and especially dual systems operated in cooperation with SMEbusinesses, should be given more public support; considers that informal training, on-the-job training and knowledge sharing among staff should be encouraged; 1b __________________ 1bBased on Eurofound report Job creation in SMEs: ERM annual report 2015 (27 January 2016). Some companies have a training plan in place to ensure that workers’ skills are kept up-to-date. Furthermore, more informal training is widely encouraged, including on-the-job training or knowledge sharing among staff.
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Calls on the Commission to set up programmes to enhance entrepreneurship, in particular women entrepreneurship, and SMEs financial literacy through education but also better access to information and the creation of one-stop-shops for SMEs;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Considers that apprenticeship schemes within SMEs should be better promoted by Member States, including through financial incentives; highlights that vocational education and training plays a vital economic and social role in Europe as an instrument to promote equal opportunities for all citizens, including vulnerable and disadvantaged groups;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Encourages the Member States to create opportunities for young people to acquire entrepreneurship skills; also stresses the importance of mentoring forworking and entrepreneurial skills, starting from an early age, by updating the education curricula and the development of transversal competencies, skills and knowledge; also stresses the importance of mentoring for apprentices, interns, newly employed, as well as young entrepreneurs;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Stresses that lifelong skills development and counselling are important tools to ensure equal opportunities, including for people from disadvantaged groups, as well as more gender equality;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10 b. Considers business mentorship programmes essential to improving survival rates not only for start-ups but also for young SMEs and SMEs wishing to expand;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the ‘'Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs’' programme, which helps provide aspiring Europeanyoung entrepreneurs with the skills necessary to start and/or successfully run a small business; calls for the European Commission and Member States to make this programme better known among the target groups;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on Member States to adopt favourable legislative frameworks for young graduates who are employed by an SME osupport young graduates entering the labour mareket or starting up an enterprise;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Calls on Member States to provide appropriate training and ensure an ongoing professional development of teachers to promote up to date teaching methods and the development of 21st century skills and competencies;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12 b. Underlines the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) studies also with regard to enabling European SMEs to play a leading role at the global stage;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)
Paragraph 12 c (new)
12 c. Emphasises that corporate social responsibility has a long European tradition and that socially responsible businesses continue to set an example today; stresses that SMEs can play an important role in ensuring environmentally, socially and economically sustainable growth; calls on SMEs to live up to their environmental and social responsibility and take proactive measures to identify and prevent any violation of human or environmental rights, corruption or tax evasion, including in their subsidiaries and supply chains; points out that the organisation of work, equal opportunities and social inclusion, anti-discrimination measures, adequate transparency standards, reliable accountability mechanisms and the development of lifelong education and training are crucial in this context;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Takes the view that reducimproving the regulatory and administrative burdenvironment, together with improving the quality of regulation and enforcement, constitute the right way to lower SMEs’ costs, including laboursupported by information campaigns and prevention, consts, in orderitute the right way to increase their job creation potential of SMEs;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Takes the view that reducing the regulatory and administrative burden, together with improving the quality of regulation and enforcement, constitutes the right way to lower SMEs’ costs, including labour costs, in order to increase their job creation potential;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Stresses the importance of a comprehensive European regulatory environment which harmonizes the rules existing in 28 Member States thereby facilitating market access of SMEs;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13 b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to improve the regulatory framework for social businesses;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13 c. Acknowledges the importance of taking into account the situation, specific needs and difficulties with compliance by micro and small enterprises in the context of the implementation of OSH measures at company level; stresses that awareness raising, exchange of good practices, consultation, user-friendly guides and online platforms are of utmost importance to help SMEs and micro enterprises comply more effectively with OSH regulatory requirements; calls on the Commission, EU-OSHA and the Member States to continue developing practical tools and guidelines, which support, facilitate and improve the compliance of SMEs and micro enterprises with OSH requirements;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)
Paragraph 13 d (new)
13 d. Calls on the Commission to continue taking into account the specific nature and situation of SMEs and micro- enterprises when revising the strategic framework in order to help these companies meet the objectives set as regards to health and safety in the workplace;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 f (new)
Paragraph 13 f (new)
13 f. Calls for easier access to credit and microfinance as well as tailor-made counselling and support for start-ups and micro-enterprises, to enhance their job creation potential; underlines the importance of the European programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI), as well as the Investment Plan for Europe in this context;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 g (new)
Paragraph 13 g (new)
13 g. Stresses the need for one-stop- shops at national and regional level to provide SMEs with the necessary information on regulatory requirements and financing possibilities;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Member States to review the rules affecting SMEs and to introduce measures based on the ‘Think Small First’ principlewhen drafting legislation, to take into account the effects it will have on SMEs, in order to remimprove the bureaucratic obstacles with which SMEs are confrontedregulatory environment and to achieve a high level of regulatory certainty as a precondition for jobemployment quality and stability;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Member States to review the rules affecting SMEs and to introduce measures based on the ‘Think Small First’ principle, in order to remove the bureaucratic obstacles with which SMEs are confronted and achieve a high level of regulatory certainty as a precondition for jensure quality standards for workers such as working conditions, working time and health and safety without burdening SMEs with bureaucratic ob stabilitycles;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Takes the view that a stable regulatory environment is an essential prerequisite for job perennity andsustainable quality job creation in SMEs; considers that this regulatory certainty must encompass, among other elements, workers' protection, contract law and fiscal and social regulation, as well as tax rulings and also legal certainty and procedural effectiveness;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Believes that the stability of the regulatory environment is best achieved by an ongoing involvement of social partners in the decision making process;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15 b. Recalls that competition policy is enforced at the European level; highlights that unfair competition in the Single Market damages law-abiding companies, in particular small and medium enterprises; calls on the Commission together with the Member States to take decisive measures to tackle unfair competition that is based on for example avoidance of social, fiscal or labour law;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)
Paragraph 15 c (new)
15 c. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to take decisive measures to curb letterbox companies;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 d (new)
Paragraph 15 d (new)
15 d. Recalls that all workers in the Single Market must have the right to enjoy the highest possible level of protection as regards to health and safety at work regardless of the size of the company which employs them, the place of employment or the underlying contract;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Stresses the importance of SME- friendly, effective, flexible and responsive public administration in the Member States in order to promote entrepreneurship values, facilitate the growth of SMEs and enable them to achieve their full job creation potential; potential in generating high-quality jobs;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Commission to facilitate efficient exchanges of best practices between Member States regarding their different regulatory environments for SMEs; welcomes in this regard the Network of SME Envoys, whose role is to improve the consultation process with national SMEs and cooperation between EU countries; also encourages cooperation between SMEs and local authorities, which can be beneficial for the creation of business clusters and incubators and hence increase their job creation potential; encourages SMEs' associations to better support SMEs and to play a stronger role as a reliable social partner;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the Commission to adopt, in the framework of the European Semester’'s country-specific recommendations, a differentiated approach to improve the environment for SMEs, taking into account the country- specific circumstances and the EU regions’' specific structural differences among SMEs;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Member States to remove the remaining administrative barriers with a viewWelcomes the creation of a Capital Market Union and calls for further measures to facilitatinge market access for micro-enterprises and SMEs from other Member States;
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Member States to adopt favourable legislative frameworks for newly- created SMEs, focusing in particular on incentive measures aimed at tackling the shadow economytackle the shadow economy and make full use of the newly established platform to tackle undeclared work;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 a. Calls on Member States to develop active labour market policies, foster research and innovation, and provide good quality public services and infrastructures, in order to also encourage private sector investment into SMEs;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21 b. Stresses the need for Member States to foster partnerships between local authorities, education institutions, employment services, enterprises, trade unions, and civil society associations, also with regard to the creation, implementation and monitoring of sustainable and inclusive quality employment strategies and action plans;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Notes that in some cases EU competition policy results in a privileginge that mostly benefits big market operators that are characterised by greater economic efficiency than SMEs; stresses in this regard the need for specific measures for SMEs in order to curb their market diseconomies, thus enabling their internationalisation and boosting their job creation potentialpotential to generate high quality jobs;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Takes the view that SMEs’' unequal access to markets, information, counselling, public services, skills and finance across the EUuropean Union, as well as being detrimental to their employment creation prospects, is the result of a number of structural differences in terms of enterprises’' scale and performances; considers, therefore, that these differences should be taken into account when evaluating EUthe Union's internal market performance and implementing Union competition policy rules;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23 a. Considers that an image of a SME as an attractive employer, based on good working and employment conditions, is an important competitive advantage with regard to the recruitment of skilled staff;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Takes the view that overregulated and bureaucratic economic systems induce higher labour costs, which represent a higher financial burden for SMEs than for big companies owing to the differences in business volumestax policies should favour job creation;
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Takes the view that overregulated and bureaucratic economic systems induce higher labour costs, which represent a higher financial burden for SMEs than for big companies owing to the differences in business volumesfair competition is a fundamental principle of a functioning Single Market;
Amendment 320 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Notes that in regions where economic development is focused on attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), MNCs are treated preferentially in both legislative and tax matters; believes that these practicestresses the need to closely monitor the respect of workers' rights in these cases; believes that a preferential treatment of MNCs should also be examined with a view to ensuring a level playing field for SMEs and restoringand to diminish their potential negative impact on their employment creation capacities of SMEs;
Amendment 326 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Notes that a reducn improved regulatory burden, better regulation and improvement offramework, and efficient law enforcement can contribute to tackling the issues of the shadow economy and tax avoidance, as the attractiveness of such ‘exits’ from the regulatory systems would be substantially reduced;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Notes that a reduced regulatory burden, better regulation and improvement of law enforcement can contribute to tackling the issues of the shadow economy and tax avoidance, as the attractiveness of such ‘exits’ from the regulatory systems would be substantially reduced;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls on the Commission to conduct an impact assessment regarding the implications of the futureproposed TTIP agreement, for the number and quality of jobs in the SME sector in all Member States; stresses that such an impact assessment should include a detailed analysis of the types of SMEs and sectors that might be affected;
Amendment 348 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Notes the opportunities offered by the Digital Single Market to generate growth and jobs, notably in the field of e- commerce; stresses, however, the need for an SME-focused evaluation of the potential risks and benefits in different Member Statefor SMEs with regard to their growth and job creation potential in the different Member States, as well as for the impact on workers and social security systems;
Amendment 354 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Welcomes the presence of information portals aimed specifically at SMEs, such as the ‘'Access to Finance Portal’' on Your Europe, and calls on the Commission to continue with them andfurther improve their functionality, accessibility and to transform them into more interactive instruments;