38 Amendments of Andrea COZZOLINO related to 2016/2032(INI)
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Emphasises the key role of MSMEs in generating growth and employment in EU regions; notes that in the current climate of fiscal constraint, cohesion policy is a vital source of support for SMEs;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas micro, SMEs and mid-caps play an important role for the European economy in terms of employment and growth;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas micro and SME financing suffered more from the crisis than the financing of large enterprises;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes initiatives designed to diversify sources of funding and reduce the cost of capital for MSMEs; stresemphasises the need to improve the way in which capital markets fund the real economy, by developing alternatives to bank loans, and to make EU funding more attractive to SMEsimportance of the SME Supporting Factor for maintaining and increasing bank lending to SMEs and calls on the Commission to explore the possibility of making this factor permanent;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas European SMEs are very diverse and include a vast number of micro-enterprises, which often operate in traditional sectors and a growing number of new start-ups and fast-growing innovative enterprises; whereas these business models face different problems and, therefore, have different financing needs;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Notes that bank lending is traditionally the most important external financing source for MSMEs; highlights that bank-based and capital-based financing models should be complementary; stresses the need to improve the way in which capital markets fund the real economy, by developing alternatives to bank loans;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to provide a clear and stable legal environment, and to guaranteeensure enhanced coordination, and consistency and synergies between instruments and programmes which suppormong all EU investment policies targeted at MSMEs, such as the including the EFSI, European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI funds), Horizon 2020 and COSME; welcomes the Juncker investment plan, and draws SMEs' attention to the opportunities offered by the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI)European Investment Fund (EIF), specific financial instruments foreseen by funding programmes such as COSME, Horizon 2020, EASI, Connecting Europe Facility;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Acknowledges the diversity of micro, SMEs and mid-caps in the Member States, which is reflected in their business models, size, geographical position, socioeconomic environment, stages of development, financial structure and legal form;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Points out that direct state aid, which does not distort the benefits of competition at EU level, is sometimes necessary in order to assure the needed funds for start- ups and MSMEs, especially where the socioeconomic conditions do not allow for another source of access to finance; calls on the European Commission to set out the conditions for compatible state aid at national and regional level and to clarify synergies and complementarity between EU rules on ESI Funds and on state aid;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes differences in financing conditions and needs for SMEs between Member States, notably the quantity and cost of available funding, which are influenced by SME-specific and country- specific factors; highlights that capital markets are fragmented and regulated differently across the EU and that some of the integration achieved has been lost due to the crisis;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Calls on the Commission and Member States to promote a holistic approach to the dissemination of information on all EU funding opportunities (including Banking Union, Capital Markets Union and EU regional funds) at European, national, regional and local level;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that the complexity of the rules and the amount of red tape involved in obtaining ESI funding, including disproportionate administrative costs and the time lag before payments are actually received, affects SMEs in particular; calls for a thorough simplification of the process, and urges the Commission to clarify how the rules governing ESI Funds and the rules on State aid fit togethercosts and obstacles to timely payments, have a negative impact on access to finance for MSMEs; calls on the European Commission and on the national and regional authorities to simplify the administrative procedures and the legislation;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Believes that in a comprehensive and well-designed Capital Markets Union all market participants with the same relevant characteristics should face a single set of rules, have equal access to a set of financial instruments or services and be treated equally when they are active in the market;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Underlines the need for diverse public and private funding options for SMEs throughout their lifecycle; stresses that access to finance is also of importance for the transfer of businesses; calls on the Commission and the Member States to support SMEs in this process;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls for a simplified and less regulated access to credit, in particular taking into account the specific characteristics of micro-enterprises and start-ups; regrets that investors and banks are often reluctant to finance businesses in their start-up and early expansion phases and that many MSMEs, find it hard to gain access to external funding; asks, therefore, the Commission, Member States and regional authorities to pay particular attention to improving access to finance for microenterprises and start-ups that want to scale-up;
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes that, setting aside the issue of their size, each SME is different and there are many factors which determAcknowledges the diversity of MSMEs and mid-caps in the Member States, which is reflected ine their needs and the ease with which they can obtain funding, such as where they are based, the business sector in which they operate and the stage they have reached in their development; calls on the Commission, Member Statesbusiness models, size, geographical position, socioeconomic environment, stages of development, financial structure and rlegional authorities to take these factors into account in coming up with tailor-made financing arrangements which in particular exploit the scope for combining subsidies and funding instrumeal form; stresses that European and national rules on funding opportunities for MSMEs should take these different financing needs into accounts.
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Encourages SMEs to consider the whole EU as their home market and to use the potential of the single market for their financing needs; welcomes the Commission’'s initiatives supporting SMEs and start-ups in an upgraded Single Market; underlines, in this context,emphasises that the Start-up initiative of the European Commission should favour not only the establishment of start-ups but also their development and growth; underlines the importance of the implementation of the Small Business Act; calls on the Commission for a follow- up to the Small Business Act which would further assist businesses to overcome both physical and regulatory barriers; recognises, in this context, that innovation is a key driver for sustainable growth and employment in the EU and that specific attention should be given to Innovative SMEs;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Underlines that overcoming information problems about SMEs will help to improve access to capital markets for those growing medium-sized firms that are most likely to benefit from easier access to finance; Supports the idea of creating a minimum, simple and shared set of data to build a credit scoring system available to SMEs interested in accessing capital markets, to be implemented through the creation of a common European platform, where SMEs looking for finance could voluntarily insert their data and keep them up to date; believes that such an instrument would allow companies to reach international pools of liquidity;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that start-ups in particularand micro- enterprises, especially those in economically depressed regions, find it difficult to obtain appropriate funding and to identify and meet regulatory financial requirements; encourages therefore Member States in their efforts to create one-stop shops as hubs for all regulatory requirements for entrepreneurs; welcomes the Commission’s plan to launch a European Pact for starts-ups to address these issues;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Notes that rules on bankruptcy, insolvency and second chance opportunities remain very fragmented across the EU, and that this also restricts cross border investments; Believes that simplified and harmonised rules in the area would support start-ups, micro, SMEs and improve the EU's business environment;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the Commission’'s initiative to identify undue barriers and obstacles to the financial sector providing funding to the real economy, in particular micro, SMEs; underlines the importance of simplifying or modifying rules which gave rise to unintended consequences;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Acknowledges that bank lending is traditionally the most important external financing source for SMEs; underlines the important role of banks with specific regional and local knowledge and their long-term relationship with SMEs; highlights that bank-based and capital- based financing models should be complementary;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Highlights that the financial crisis has led to the fragmentation of the EU savings and credit markets; emphasises that despite unconventional measures by the ECB and the creation, yet to be completed, of the Banking Union, credit conditions continue to vary across the euro area, reflecting differences in risk perception and economic conditions;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Believes that the fragmentation of the EU savings and credit markets can only be addressed through completion of the baking union; highlights the need to implement the European Deposit Insurance Scheme (EDIS), the third pillar of the Banking Union; invites the Commission to consider the introduction of a financial backstop to further enhance the stability and reduce systemic risk;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Underlines that while digitalisation is advancing and therefore new sources of financing are emerging, the local presence of traditional credit institutions especially in islands and archipelagos as well as rural, remote and peripheral areas remains essential for SMEs' access to finance;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Emphasises the need to avoid double reporting requirements and multiple reporting channels, and more generally an unnecessary administrative burden on credit institutions, in particular smaller banks; Is concerned about multiple regulatory requirements for banks and possible negative effects on lending to SMEs; calls on the Commission to assess these effects on SME lending, with the support of the EBA and SSM;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Emphasises the importance of the SME Supporting Factor for maintaining and increasing bank lending to SMEs; calls on the Commission to examine the appropriate calibration of the factor, including size, threshold and possible interactions with other regulatory requirements; is concerned about the possible negative impact of its removal; calls on the Commission to explore the possibility of making this factor permanent; suggests that initiatives for improved SME funding should be expanded to start-ups, micro- enterprises and mid-cap companies;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on EBA and the Commission to provide more guidance on the implementation of the current forbearance regulation; recalls that non-performing loans on banks' balance sheet are hampering the delivery of new loans, hence, stronger measures are needed to overcome the problem; asks the Commission to conduct an impact assessment of the current forbearance regime for non-performing loans; stresses that the introduction of a de minimis limit for minor violations would help to prevent an unnecessary und unjustified drop in the creditworthiness of the SME;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Notes that limits to the purchase of government bonds by banks or the increase of weighting of these bonds would increase the credit costs and increase the competitive gap in EU;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Welcomes the measures adopted by the ECB on 10 March 2016 and, in particular, the new series of four targeted longer-term refinancing operations (TLTRO II), which will reinforce the ECB's accommodative monetary policy stance and incentivise bank lending to the real economy; underlines that monetary policies alone would not be sufficient to boost growth and investments and that they have to be accompanied by appropriate fiscal policies;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure enhanced coordination and consistency among all EU investment policies targeted at SMEs including the EFSI, EU regional funds, European Investment Fund (EIB), specific financial instruments foreseen by funding programmes such as COSME, Horizon 2020, EASI, Connecting Europe Facility;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Emphasises the potential of EU cohesion policy and the EU regional fund as a source for SME funding aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs, which is one of the goals of the EU cohesion policy; Underlines that more than 63 billion euro of ESI funds have been allocated in the 2014-2020 programming (plus almost 31 billion by national co-financing for a total of 94 billion euro);
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)
Paragraph 21 c (new)
21c. Considers the EFSI as an important source of funding for SMEs and calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote the use of the European Investment Project Portal which aims at putting in contact project promoters and investors; calls on the Commission to evaluate the possible extension of the EFSI beyond its expiry date;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 d (new)
Paragraph 21 d (new)
21d. Calls on the Commission and Member States to promote a holistic approach to the dissemination of information on all EU funding opportunities (including Banking Union, Capital Markets Union and EU regional funds) at European, national, regional and local level;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Emphasises the importance of the transparency, standardisation and public availability of SME financing information for banks, investors, supervisors and other stakeholders in order to understand the risk profile and take informed decisions; welcomes the Commission’'s SME information strategy;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Points out that direct state aid, which does not distort the benefits of competition at EU level, is sometimes necessary in order to assure the needed funds for start- ups, microenterprises and SMEs, especially where the socioeconomic conditions do not allow for another source of access to finance;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Welcomes the Commission’'s proposals for a framework for simple, transparent and standardised (STS) securitisation and the calibration of the prudential requirements for banks; notes the possible effects of SME securitisation for bank lending to SMEs; stresses the fact that small banks would not be able to issue securitization/covered bonds with the sufficient size to be interesting enough to investors to buy; calls for the introduction of a "Small Bank Solution" regime within the framework for simple, transparent and standardized (STS) securitization whereby a pool of banks may release joint re-securitizations pools, made of simple transparent standardized small securitization, thus sufficiently large in size for interested investors to buy, thereby avoiding an unlevelled playing field among smaller and bigger banks;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Welcomes the Commission's decision to launch a public consultation on a "start-up initiative" which is aimed at collecting stakeholders' views on how to create favourable conditions for entrepreneurs to start up and scale up their business in the EU;