Quote of the Week: "If everything seems under control, you're just not
going fast enough." - Mario Andretti
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ESBA WEEKLY of Friday 09 & 16 November 2001 - VOL 3 - N° 45 & 46
Headlines of WEEK 45 & 46:
- EMPLOYMENT: EC wants to strengthen local dimension of EES
- TOURISM: No long term negative impact & the future of EU tourism
- FINANCE: EU SME support - ERDF, EIB and EIF sign agreements
- DATA PROTECTION: Spamming and cookies in the EP ?
- ENTREPRENEURSHIP: EC launches business incubators database
- ENTREPRENEURSHIP: European Awards for the Spirit of Enterprise 2001
- UPCOMING EVENTS
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EU / EMPLOYMENT
Brussels 07/11/2001: EC wants to strengthen local dimension of EES
The Commission adopted a policy paper suggesting ways to develop
employment at local level and enhancing transfer of best practice at
European level, thereby further strengthening the European Employment
Strategy (EES).
The EC recognises that the local actors themselves know better what needs
to be done in each specific situation, however, the EC wants to open-up
themselves towards local actors and promote the exchange of information
and links between the local, regional, national, and Community levels (i.e
via websites, research and networking).
The communication is adopted in the context of last's year campaign
"Acting Locally for Employment", the European Parliament's resolution on
"Acting locally" and the Commission's White Paper on European Governance.
The employment week 2001 will also focus on this theme and finally the EC
has proposed to hold, at the beginning of 2003, a Local Development Forum
for all actors concerned.
More info:
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/cnc/2001/com2001_0629en01.pdf
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EU / TOURISM
Brussels 13/11/2001: No long term negative impact & the future of EU
tourism
Following the events of 11 September 2001, the EC has conducted an
industry-wide stakeholder consultation and concludes now in its report
that, although there is a serious negative short-term impact on certain
forms of tourism, destination types and specific sectors, the overall
impact on tourism in Europe is expected to be rather limited in scope and
time. The analysis and opinion is in line with the conclusions of the
World Tourism Organisation, but contradicts with an impact simulation
carried out immediately after 11 September forecasting dramatic losses in
tourism, with severe effects on GDP and employment world-wide, including
Europe. Tourism and related activities account for more than 20 million
jobs and 12% of EU GDP, and is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the
European economy.
At the same time the EC has also published its ideas to develop a future
strategy for the European tourism sector that meets the medium and
long-term political and economic challenges ahead. It will be based on the
open method of co-ordination (with Member States and stakeholders) as
tourism is currently not a Community policy domain (it also implicates
that the EU will not provide funding for most proposed measures). The
strategy aims at enhancing the integration of the concerns of all tourism
stakeholders in Community policies and initiatives affecting tourism and
tries to raise the awareness of the importance of tourism within the EU
economy as a whole.
The strategy focuses on five key issues (information, training, quality,
sustainable development, and new technologies) and advocates a number of
key activities, such as the organisation of an annual Tourism Forum,
enhancing the functioning of the Advisory Committee on Tourism, fostering
networking services and support functions, promoting sustainable
development, and monitoring the quality of tourist destinations and
services.
More info (copy/paste full link):
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/services/tourism/tourism-publicat
ions/documents/report_en.pdf
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/services/tourism/tourism-publicat
ions/documents/communication_en.pdf
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EU / FINANCE
Brussels 14/11/2001: EU SME support - ERDF, EIB and EIF sign agreements
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has concluded a 40 million euro
financing arrangement (in the form of a global loan) with the UK's
Co-operative bank to support SMEs in the UK assisted areas (industry,
rural and urban tourism schemes and services). The facility should enable
the Co-operative bank to extend the financing it can provide to SMEs, with
a particular focus on smaller enterprises which need development finance
for further growth.
The European Investment Fund (EIF) signed its first micro-credit operation
with the Prince's Trust (Wales, UK) for the amount of 31 million euro
designed to help young people (through guarantees), who are unable to
raise finance from other sources, to set up their own small enterprise.
The resources mobilised stem from the so-called "SME Guarantee Facility",
created by the EU in the context of the Growth and Employment Initiative
and managed by the EIF.
The EIF furthermore launched its first operation supporting early stage
venture capital in Denmark, as it agreed to invest DKK 100 million (around
13,5 million euro) in Danske Venture Partners Seed K/S fund (total fund
DKK 500 million or around 67 million euro). The fund will target start-up
and early stage companies in the fields of information and communication
technology and derived media sectors.
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is to contribute a total of
145 million euro to new business risk capital funds launched in favour of
four British regions: Merseyside, South Yorkshire, West Wales and the
Valleys, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (eligible under Objective I of
the Structural Funds). In addition to the ERDF funds, the public and
private sectors will provide a further 177 million, giving a total of 322
million. The funds are designed to create or safeguard some 30,000 jobs
and to help launch or maintain 3,800 enterprises over the next ten years.
The organisations implementing the schemes are to make the funds and
services available to SMEs tailored to meet their specific needs and to
contribute to developing the economy in these regions.
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EU / ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Brussels 14/11/2001: EC launches business incubators database
Business incubators assist newly created companies to get off to a
successful start by providing integrated facilities, services, networking
opportunities and knowledge. The database aims to provide the interested
parties with a single entry point to all business incubators in Europe,
regardless of type business sector or location. The database should
thereby support entrepreneurs in finding the correct incubators,
facilitate networking among business incubators, and provide information
on the business incubators.
The database contains already over 500 business incubators from EU Member
States, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the 13 candidate
countries. At the end of 2001, it should contain over 950 business
incubators.
The database is a practical result of the benchmarking exercise on the
management and promotion of business incubators, coordinated by the EC.
More info / Database: http://www.cordis.lu/incubators
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EU / DATA PROTECTION
Brussels 14/11/2001: Spamming and cookies in the European Parliament ?
In its first reading, the European Parliament voted to leave it up to the
different Member States to determine under their own legislation whether
unsolicited email for marketing purposes should be allowed only with the
prior consent of subscribers ('opt-in') or whether subscribers should just
have the right to insist on being removed from mailing lists ('opt-out').
The European Parliament's only exception to this proposed solution is the
situation where a consumer already has a commercial relationship with a
company, in which case he would have to opt out if he did not want further
information.
However, direct marketing by fax, SMS or automated calling systems should
be done via the opt-in system, according the European Parliament. It also
wants the opt-in option for so-called internet cookies (recording users
passwords, names, language preferences, etceteras).
The Commission initially proposed the "opt-in" option to be applied across
the EU for all electronic communications tools. The European Parliament
initially seemed to favour this option also, but the plenary vote in
September returned the proposal to the responsible committee, a reviewed
proposal and current outcome as a result.
The text will now probably be examined by the Telecommunications Council
on 6 December 2001, of which several members already indicated to prefer
the opt-out option.
The proposals form part of a package of draft legislation put forward last
year by the EC to bring EU rules into the internet age and to ensure data
protection rules also cover the new technologies. The proposal intends to
enhance personal privacy in electronic communication, thereby boosting
confidence in the internet.
ESBA questions the usefulness of some aspects of the proposal and the
European Parliament amendments. A more balanced approach is needed between
data protection and commercial interests (i.e. SMEs undertaking legal
commercial activities for whom it is an effective marketing tool). Only a
world-wide opt-out system together with effective legal prosecution could
possibly resolve the current "problem" and boost confidence in the
internet.
ESBA fully supports the need to make a distinction between illegal
'spamming' (the dispatch of non-targeted emails, generally considered
tantamount to harassment as messages often promote pornographic sites or
fraudulent practices) on one side and serious direct and interactive
marketing on the other (mainly used by SMEs in their commercial
communications strategy).
SMEs in the EU need a clear, coherent and simple business environment to
be able to compete on equal footing with its non-EU competitors. As
e-mails originating from outside the EU are not falling under the scope of
the proposals and as most authors of 'spamming' messages often themselves
use false Internet addresses, the opt-in system is unlikely to reduce the
volume of unsolicited emails and will only undermine business interest.
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EU / ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Brussels 15/11/2001: European Awards for the Spirit of Enterprise 2001
Also this year again, JEE organised the "European Awards for the spirit of
enterprise". Four main prize categories are defined: young people with the
education and training institutions as a partner (SPIN-OFF & EDUCATION),
the launch of new enterprises (SEED), the growth of new enterprises
(START-UP), and the growth and the innovation of SMEs over the break-even
point (EXPANSION & INNOVATION).
The European Awards for the Spirit of Enterprise 2001 were awarded to the
following European initiatives:
- SPIN-OFF: T.C. PROJECT, Italy
- SEED: TBsC Technology, UK
- START-UP: UPPONETTI OY, Finland
- EXPANSION & INNOVATION: STEM ALPHA, France
The European Awards are designed to stimulate and promote the spirit of
enterprise in order to encourage the development and growth of new
enterprises. The enables young entrepreneurs to gain recognition, to
present their activities and to exchange their ideas and experiences. It
affords the winning companies recognition by professionals, the
administration and the general public, as well as facilitating contacts
with potential prospects and investors.
The JEE hopes also to be able to develop a European fund for start-ups
(EFS) that will invest in the best European new and expanding e-content
enterprises from 2002 onwards. The idea is to make use of the business
evaluations carried out by the JEE awards selection committees in order to
allocate funding (although there will not be a definite financial or
organisational link between the EFS and the European awards for the spirit
of enterprise). This as there is a large number of digital content
business plans submitted to the JEE awards. The funding for the e-content
start-ups would be provided by major banks, pension funds and venture
capitalists, with both local-level and hands-on co-investment by financial
backers.
ESBA has been supporting the competition for the first time and as such
was involved as a member of the European jury. The award is a good example
of an open, democratic and concrete effort to foster entrepreneurship in
Europe. Entrepreneurship is the most important value in a society
requiring the creation of wealth. A successful and free society encourages
entrepreneurship and competition. If a society stifles this, it simply
fails to maintain the necessary creativity and initiative spirit to answer
evolving human needs and desires through processes of innovation. Small
business entrepreneurs are the natural pool of entrepreneurship in a
society. Their strength is innovation and flexibility.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Brussels (B) 22-23/11/2001: Closing conference European Week 2001 -
Prevention of work-related accidents: a different strategy in a changing
world of work; Theme: SMEs, Health and Safety. Info:
http://osha.eu.int/ew2001/programme.stm
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