Activities of Jürgen KLUTE related to 2012/2134(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on improving access to finance for SMEs PDF (251 KB) DOC (166 KB)
Amendments (16)
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas amongst European SMEs a particular attention should be paid to the Social Economy sector, given its economic weight (20 million people i.e. 10% of the overall employment) and the significant resilience its model has shown since the beginning of the economic crisis while Social Economy organisations face comparable problems of access to finance as others SMEs;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines the responsibility of banks to invest wisely in the economy and more specifically in SMEs; notes that, in some Member States, SMEs do not have pand function of banks to serve society and real economy and to lend to non-financial entities giving a special importance to GDP contributing entities such as SMEs; notes that, in some Member States, public as well as regional cooperative banks play an important roblems in accessing creditthe credit supply of SMEs; points out that reducing investments to a minimum can lead to a credit crunch;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Reminds that European universal and significantly important financial institutions have continuously shifted their activities away from productive lending using a ever growing part of their balance sheet for risk enhancing activities and lending to financial entities;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Asks the Commission to require from banks with a balance sheet total above EUR 200 bn that at least 50% of their balance sheet be dedicated to lending to non financial entities and at least 33% to lending to GDP contributing activities and entities such as SMEs;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Asks the Commission to assess the potential effects for lending to SMEs of a limitation of the size of banks by putting a cap on the size of assets that a bank can hold;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reminds the Commission that SMEs across Europe are very heterogeneous, ranging from very traditional, family-run businesses to innovative cooperative business models, fast-growing enterprises, high-tech firms and start-ups;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Points out that the Commission's Action Plan rightly places a lot of emphasis on venture capital as a possible mode of growth finance but underlines that this kind of funding is adequate only for a small number of SMEs;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes that entrepreneurs' lack of knowledge about basic finance limits the quality of business plans and thus also the success of a credit application; therefore calls on the Commission and the Member States to provide professional training support to potential entrepreneurs as well as to redundant workers who aim at taking over their enterprise in the form of a cooperative after restructuring processes;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Believes that a course of entrepreneurship encompassing the various entrepreneurial methods should be included in basic education systems; believes that a well-prepared business plan is the first step towards better access to finance; calls on the Commission and the Member States to include financial education in their education programmes without any delay;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Welcomes the focus put on Microfinance and Social Entrepreneurship; calls on the Commission and the EIB to further increase the Progress Microfinance Facility;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Stresses that, if some of the so-called "business angels" can contribute positively to the financing of SMEs, European public policies should rather foster ordinary fundings than "business angels"; believes that the existing SMEs' recourse to "business angels" can be seen to a large extent as a consequence of the lack of ordinary fundings; warns the Commission against creating undue windfall by encouraging the involvement of "business angels"; points out that to the SMEs external funding sources also belong hedge and other alternatives funds, which cannot be considered as funding sources to be fostered; enjoins the Commission accordingly to give a clear and exhaustive definition of "business angels";
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Welcomes the Commission's intention of reviewing, by 2013, the General Block Exemption Regulation and several State aid guidelines; underlines that the General Block Exemption Regulation is an important instrument in order to promote SME creation, development and recovery, especially in the current crisis situation; stresses that the most appropriate State aid instruments which should be block exempted are grants, loans, repayable advances, fiscal measures, and guarantee schemes;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22b. Underlines the beneficial role of the financial support provided by cooperative federations and stresses the need for it to be backed by State guarantees in order to increase its efficiency;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the Commission to strengthen and optimise the risk-sharing instruments of the European Investment Bank; believes that the SME loan activity of the European Investment Bank, as a key European-wide instrument able to implement contracyclical measures, should not be subject to market conditions, as stated in the Commission's communication;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Calls on the Commissions to take initiatives in order that the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund get involved in the creation and strengthening of non- banking financial institutions for the development of worker and social cooperatives; believes accordingly that the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund should act as intermediaries between cooperatives networks on the one hand and financial markets, banks and institutional investors on the other hand by issuing dedicated financial instruments;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23b. Calls on the Commission to take account of the Socially and Environmentally Responsible Investing principles as a means of reaching sustainable development goals through SMEs' funding;