Textiles, Fashion and Creative Industries

The European Commission is presenting a strategy to promote better access to finance for SMEs with an EU Action Plan which includes increasing financial support from the EU budget and the European Investment Bank and a proposal for a regulation setting uniform rules for the marketing of venture capital funds.

With a budget of € 2.5 billions over the period 2014-2020, the Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs, COSME is a funding instrument, which is largely continuing the activities under the current Competitiveness and Innovation programme (CIP).

The conference dealt with Market surveillance for industrial products, focusing on machinery together with topics such as the New Legislative Framework and the Sectoral Directives including more particularly capital goods falling under the Machinery Directive.

In September 2011 compared with August 2011, the euro area (EA17) industrial new orders index 2 fell by 6.4%. In August the index rose by 1.4%. In the EU27 new orders decreased by 2.3% in September 2011, after a fall of 0.3% in August.

The Commission today presents a new approach to ensure that the EU responds better to the needs of small businesses. From now on, the European Commission will seek wherever possible to exempt micro-enterprises from EU legislation or introduce special regimes so as to minimise the regulatory burden on them.

The field of innovation for social purposes is developing rapidly all over the world, with new institutions and methods, growing confidence and evidence of impact. Social innovators are changing the way governments work, the way civil society achieves impact, and the actions of business.

The graduate scheme has been established to respond to the high industry demand for REACH and CLP specialists and to assist young graduates to find employment as regulatory scientists and professionals in the field of chemical regulations.

A new European network of mentors to promote female entrepreneurship through the sharing of know-how and experience has been launched by the European Commission.

In September 2011 compared with August 2011, seasonally adjusted industrial production fell by 2.0% in the euro area (EA17) and by 1.3% in the EU27. In August production rose by 1.4% and 1.0% respectively.

European small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) should better profit from fast growing emerging markets. This is the key issue to overcome the crisis addressed in the European Commission communication ‘Small Business, Big World - a new partnership to help SMEs seize global opportunities’.

A new study shows that the economic benefits arising from the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations in the World Trade Organisation amount to an increase of world exports of $359 billion on an annual basis from a deal on the liberalisation of industrial goods, agriculture, services and on the removal of red tape.

This seminar aims to bring together about 250-300 participants from companies, public organizations, policy makers at EU-national and local levels, experts to discuss the assessment of the Lead Market Initiative and to develop future demand-side policy actions with regard to supply-side instruments.

The European Commission has published a new policy on corporate social responsibility. By taking steps to better meet their social responsibility, enterprises can help themselves and help society as a whole.