Speeches

Mr President, I would like to take the floor according to Rule 195, together with Articles 1 and 3 of Annex I of the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament. As many colleagues will know, since that issue has been reported by media, I participated as an applicant in the selection process for the EU SME Envoy, and my lodged complaint is still pending. I therefore clearly have a conflict of interest in this vote and I will consequently not take part in the vote on amendment 35. I think that transparency and public interest must always come first – a consideration which does not seem to be the case for everyone in the Commission, everyone in this Parliament who prefers party interests and personal favours to rules and principles.

Mr President, Commissioner, I have been in the European Parliament for nine years and it is only today that I can say with conviction and a clear conscience that SMEs are finally getting the attention and care they deserve. I used to do business, run small businesses and believe that Europe recognises and appreciates their importance in the economy and society. My disappointment that this was not the case and that I was living in an illusion was enormous. Sometimes I feel it all the time. Entrepreneurs are the ones who create jobs, who bring prosperity to Europe. But no one listens to them, no one solves their problems. In Renew Europe, where I lead SME TaskforceWe have long stressed that we must listen to entrepreneurs. The President of the Commission also said that today. And I thank her for that, and I applaud. Today's speech should be heard by all entrepreneurs, so that they know that Europe is no longer forgetting them. At least I hope it wasn't just empty words. Promises are to be fulfilled, and we owe it to our businesses. There's not much time. This is where the praise ends. Yesterday, the Commission presented the SME Relief Package. Bravo, but it's too late. Relief was promised a year ago. Time is running out and entrepreneurs still have nothing in their hands. Yesterday's proposals, such as appointing an SME envoy, taking better account of the needs of small businesses when drafting legislation, stricter rules on late payments, tax simplification, cross-border activities, a greater focus on teaching employees' skills, promoting easier transfer of businesses to new owners, and better access to finance, are a first step, not a final goal. We're just getting started, so let's take more important steps. Let's focus more on the cumulative and indirect impacts of legislation, reduce reporting obligations as quickly as possible, and reduce paperwork. Let us also be cautious and diligent in assessing state aid and developing industrial policy. Above all, let us make sure that entrepreneurs receive real help and concrete steps as soon as possible, at the latest by the end of the mandate. Dear Commission, I will follow these steps closely. For every entrepreneur in Europe.

Madam President, the year is over and the debate on small and medium-sized enterprises is back. I'd like to talk about everything that's changed, but I can't shake the impression that we're just spinning in a circle. We hear the same thing from businesses all the time. They wait a long time for help, for permission, for approval, while in the US these processes are much faster. Sure, Europe is not America, and our internal market cannot function without the necessary regulations, but this is not how we move anywhere. The world is overtaking us with leaps and bounds. When will we finally realise that SMEs are the key to our competitiveness? Instead, we add more and more administrative burdens to them. Just browse through the annual SME report, where it's black and white. European companies did not reach their 2019 profit levels last year and may not be able to do so in the foreseeable future. We have been waiting for a year SME Relief Package, Commissioner, to help small and medium-sized enterprises to cope with the current crisis. That is why the European Parliament is adopting a resolution tomorrow, and I hope that the Commission will read it properly. SMEs must have better access to funding from programmes such as: Horizon Europe or InvestEU. There can be no new legislation without an impact assessment on SMEs and beware of cumulative impacts. Without reform of the current application SME test I can't do that. Teaching the necessary skills and facilitating cross-border mobility are also key. And most importantly, in the end: Let's stop revolving around our own axis and show entrepreneurs that we stand behind them and that we won't give them away. Let them be proud that they are doing business in Europe.

Mr President, when we talk about the European economy – and there are words like competitiveness, growth, prosperity, jobs – let us add right away: small and medium-sized enterprises. Yes, it is small and medium-sized entrepreneurs who hold the key to growth and jobs in Europe. Six months, Commissioner, six months have passed since the promises to present a package of relief for small and medium-sized enterprises. And I'm asking: What happened to that promise? Why do businesses have to wait so long for this to happen? We don't have that much time. I understand that the rules of the game have been changing recently. Europe is not the culprit. I understand that we are looking for a common comprehensive solution. I understand that we are breaking down various taboos around the internal market. What I don't understand, however, is why we still don't understand that entrepreneurs want nothing more than after what their definition predestines them to do, i.e. to do business in peace and bring benefits to everyone. Access to finance, rapid approval processes, skills, innovation, investment, all this is needed, but if we do not improve the business environment, we do not relieve companies of bureaucracy, so we try unnecessarily. Only debates and promises will not bring competitiveness, growth or jobs.

Madam President, Commissioner, I am proud of European businesses, big and small. I am proud of the values they create in Europe and what they do for our continent. And I am proud of the European common market. Europe has been building it step by step, brick by brick, for 30 years, and it is one of the greatest benefits of European integration. We have to protect him like an eye in the head. The world around us is changing, and we need a quick, comprehensive response where every detail has to be tuned. Our businesses need immediate access to finance, fast approval processes, skills, innovation, global business opportunities, real investment and simplification. All of this is now on the table. Let's do this. Assistance is in demand, but it must be targeted, proportionate and temporary. Let us avoid actions that lead to protectionism, tear up the labour-intensive internal market and only impose additional burdens on our businesses, especially small and medium-sized ones. The common market must remain fair, guarantee a level playing field for all players and be stable and legible. After all, that's the point. Entrepreneurs want to do business, so let's support them and not throw sticks at them.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for all the constructive comments, opinions and your support. The path to the Digital Decade will not be easy. It will zigzag in places, there will often be an obstacle on it, which we will have to skip or climb over. Still, I'm glad we went for it. I thank the European Commission, I thank the Member States that we have found a common understanding of what this path should look like. The French Presidency, which laid the foundations, and the Czech Presidency, which followed up and successfully concluded the negotiations, deserve thanks. I would also like to thank all the shadow rapporteurs and all our teams. I would like it to be said once again that we have been able to agree, together with the Commission and the Council, on what needs to be monitored in order to know whether the Digital Decade targets are being met or not. Sufficient information and learning from past mistakes are a cornerstone of progress and I am already looking forward to the annual report on the state of the Digital Decade. The Digital Decade is a policy programme with specific objectives and is designed to guide and guide countries in achieving these objectives. It is a common strategy and it is in everyone's interest to follow it. I believe that with your help, I have managed to find the right mix to achieve full digitalisation by 2030. Let us not forget that we are talking here all the time about 20 million ICT experts, about digital skills for more than 360 million people in Europe, about providing millions of high-speed internet connections across the EU, about creating 10,000 climate-neutral, highly secure edge nodes, about the first computer with quantum acceleration, about using cloud services, artificial intelligence, big data processing by three quarters of EU businesses, or about the full digitalisation of public administration and healthcare. And all this in just eight years. It may still seem like science fiction or fairy tale to you, but I believe that it will turn out in 2030 that we did everything right. Now it's up to you and your vote. Thank you for your attention and I look forward to seeing how today's vote goes.

Mr Commissioner, I am speaking in Czech. – Paní předsedající, cloudové služby, big data, umělá inteligence, veřejné služby online, digitální identifikace, přístup ke zdravotnickým dokumentům odkudkoliv nebo běžně využívané elektronické faktury, to není sci-fi, to musí být velmi brzy realita nás všech. Evropa má šanci dnes úspěšně vykročit na cestu, která nás do konce dekády dovede k plné digitální transformaci naší ekonomiky i společnosti. Do doby, kdy občané a firmy budou plně využívat výhody, které nabízí digitalizace a které přináší používání nových moderních technologií. Politický program „Cesta k digitální dekádě“ na rok 2030 nevymýšlí nic nového, ale nakládá s tím, co už je. Vychází z předpokladu, že samotné státy chtějí neustále pracovat na zlepšování a chtějí vzájemně spolupracovat a posouvat se společně dál. Cíle digitalizace, se kterými digitální dekáda počítá, prošly konzultacemi se členskými státy a já věřím, že i proto jsou reálné a splnitelné. Osobně jsem dbala na to, aby se do konzultací zapojili také zástupci podniků, a to nejen těch velkých, ale i malých a středních a start-upů. Často jsou to právě malé a střední firmy, které jsou průkopníky v nějaké oblasti, a ostatní od nich nová řešení přebírají nebo v nich hledají inspiraci. Co považuji za největší úspěch našich jednání a výsledného kompromisu? Digitální dekáda přichází s šikovným návodem, jak co nejlépe a nejefektivněji zkombinovat investice z rozpočtu EU, včetně Nástroje pro obnovu a odolnost, investice z členských států a také ze soukromého sektoru. Synergie jsou pak alfou a omegou úspěšnosti a přidané hodnoty. Díky politickému programu digitální dekáda můžeme lépe vyrovnávat rozdíly mezi členskými státy v oblastech, kde je to nejvíce potřeba. A v neposlední řadě se otevíráme možnostem mezinárodní spolupráce. Avšak za jasně narýsovaných podmínek a podle dohodnutých pravidel na hřišti vykolíkovaném programy, které ji financují. A bez čeho se neobejdeme? Za prvé je to konektivita. Bez zajištění připojení, které pořád není po celé Evropě samozřejmostí, nezmůžeme nic a můžeme jít hned teď všichni domů. Zabezpečená a udržitelná digitální infrastruktura je naprostý základ. Včerejší den, kdy se Evropský parlament stal terčem kybernetického útoku, je toho názornou ukázkou. Za druhé, neobejdeme se bez digitálních dovedností, a to nejen těch základních, které by do konce roku 2030 mělo mít minimálně 80 % populace. Firmám a také státní správě např. stále chybí lidé, kteří by dokázali školit a předávat své know-how dál. Postrádám také motivaci pro ty, co už na trhu práce jsou, aby se učili novým dovednostem a dále se rozvíjeli. O dlouholetém zoufalém volání pracovního trhu po specialistech v informačních a komunikačních technologiích ani nemluvím. Za třetí potřebujeme digitalizované služby veřejné správy. Pokud opravdu chceme, aby občané a firmy pokládali digitalizaci za přínos a viděli v ní příležitosti, musíme jít příkladem. Digitalizace státu, přístup ke klíčovým veřejným službám online, elektronické zdravotnictví a mohla bych pokračovat – to nesmí zůstávat na papíře a doslova v papírové formě. A konečně digitální transformace podniků. Téma, kterým bychom mohli zaplnit agendu celého plenárního zasedání, a ještě by to nestačilo. Digitalizace musí podnikům velkým i malým otevírat cestu k lepšímu podnikání. A nesmí je v žádném případě neúměrně zatěžovat a demotivovat. Věřím, že to zvládneme. A jak už jsem řekla, pokud dnes digitální dekádu schválíme, první krok na cestě k ní jsme už udělali.

Madam President, Commissioner, a year has passed and we are meeting here for the second time to seriously address together what is troubling small and medium-sized enterprises. When I was speaking at the first SME debate, I wanted it to become a tradition. My wish, my dream, which we as Renew Europe have persistently followed, has finally come true. Entrepreneurs are not from the realm of dreams. Unfortunately, they live in a harsh reality. The reality is that our economy cannot do without them. They are its foundation, they are its future, they give work to millions of people, they create the right values and they still have great undeveloped potential. They deserve not only our attention, but also care and fair treatment.First of all, we must always take into account their needs. Commissioner, it is unacceptable for proposals to come from the Commission where no one knows what impact they will have on SMEs. Secondly, if the new legislation is to include these companies, please make sure that they are not cut off from opportunities. Let us make sure that the new regulations do not complicate their lives and ensure that they have enough time to adapt to them. Thirdly, let's help, let's explore, let's share examples of good practice. This is all the more urgent in today's situation. The main challenge now is to help entrepreneurs exhausted after COVID-19 overcome the energy crisis. Just scroll through the new Annual report on European SMEswhere it's black and white. While the economy is slowly recovering from the pandemic, more and more firms are closing their operations and laying off their jobs because of energy prices. If we have previously called for SMEs to have better access to finance, know their rights and possibilities, and know how to reach the support offered, now it is literally a matter of life and death, unfortunately theirs. I want to believe that the proposals made yesterday by the President of the Commission will help. Finally, the Commission has taken note of the existence of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and hopefully not just words. When we meet again in a year's time, I'm sure we'll be on our way. The tradition of the debate on small and medium-sized enterprises will not be empty and we will no longer explain why it is crucial, because it is about all of us and about our future.

Mr President, dear Commissioner Šefčovič, we need to deliver concrete improvements in implementing the better regulation principles. We need to aim at true simplification when European policymakers address issues that are beyond national borders. At the same time, more progress has to be made with Member States to counter gold plating and reduce the administrative burden with which citizens and businesses struggle every day. Commissioner, I remind you that SMEs constitute 99.8% of our European businesses. They do not have the resources that larger companies have to adapt fast to complex new regulations. This is why it’s even more important that new Commission proposals, especially when they come in packages, prove that the one-in, one-out principle is respected. Moreover, it is crucial that the Commission applies the SME test to any new proposal and takes it into account in the impact assessment. Finally, I appreciate that this Commission is launching open consultation more often. However, I plead with you to consider extended deadlines to allow SMEs and their representatives to gather adequate information and deliver their feedback.

Madam President, Commissioner, I would first like to thank the Chair of the ITRE Committee and the shadow rapporteur of our group, Susana Solís Pérez, for the excellent work they have done in drafting this important resolution. A resolution defining how we will approach research and innovation cooperation with third countries in a changing world. I have absolutely no doubt that we must be open to each other, based on scientific progress and respecting fundamental values. This is the only way the whole society will benefit. The last two years have taught us that when we combine talent and expertise, we can do incredible things. One example speaking for all is joining forces to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. What research and industry have done together in the quest to save humanity has been something that will forever be written in textbooks. In addition, the last word has certainly not yet been given in these areas, and further achievements will follow. The last two months, on the other hand, have taught us that we cannot do without an alliance with trusted partners. We need to further develop and strengthen this cooperation in all key areas such as health, climate change, digitalisation, food security, etc. Research and innovation will certainly play a crucial role in this. At this point, I cannot forgive my appeal to the Commission. Europe needs to work with the UK and Switzerland. The former represents one of the most frequent partners in the implementation of scientific projects, and the latter is considered a pioneer in the field of quantum technologies. Finally, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in international cooperation, demonstrating today and on a daily basis how resilient they are and how they can respond quickly to new impetus through innovation and flexibility. There is nothing more to add. I can only call on the Commission to look for even better and, in particular, easier ways to involve SMEs and start-ups more in the opportunities offered by international cooperation in research and innovation.