EC Launches New Online Community to Promote Entrepreneurship Across EU

In a move to support Europe's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the European Commission's Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) and the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) have launched the new "Promoting Enterprise" platform on Futurium.

This online community is a key feature of the European SME Week (ESW) initiative, designed to encourage entrepreneurship and provide comprehensive support to existing and potential entrepreneurs, business organizations, and business support providers, according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal.

"We encourage SMEs and support organizations at all levels to engage with European SME Week in 2024 and beyond. The launch of this new platform aims to foster an SME community that drives innovation and collaboration, helping shape Europe's future and tackle today's challenges," said Igor Kalinic and André Meyer from the European Commission spearheading this initiative.

Employing around 100 million people in Europe and accounting for more than half of Europe's GDP, SMEs are essential to every sector of the EU economy, the European Commission highlights. Their contribution is key to reaching sustainability, resilience, and digitalization.

By recognizing their central role, the platform offers:

Centralized Resources: Offering comprehensive details about the support available for existing and potential entrepreneurs at various levels — EU, national, regional, and local.

Inspiring Innovation: Encouraging entrepreneurship with a special focus on youth and start-ups through initiatives like the Youth Start-Up Competition.

Enhancing Collaboration: Facilitating the exchange of valuable resources and insights to improve business environments across Europe.

"Promoting Enterprise. Every week. Everywhere." is the motto of ESW, which aims to expand upon the success of last year's 50+ events organized across Europe. The SME Assembly, the flagship event of the ESW, is this year set to take place from November 18-20, 2024, in Budapest, Hungary. This assembly is organized in cooperation with the Hungarian Presidency of the Council.

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