Press Release: Conference underlines crucial role of small enterprises and crafts for growth and jobs

The 4th European Conference "Challenges and opportunities for craft and small enterprises" hosted by the European Commission in Stuttgart, 16-17 April 2007, highlighted the importance of these companies for growth and jobs. In the presence of EU Council President Angela Merkel and Commission Vice President Günter Verheugen, the conference discussed how to further promote and reinforce the vital role of crafts and small enterprises as dynamic drivers of the economy. Conference participants adopted a declaration with conclusions addressed to the European, national and regional authorities and to the business sector itself. The Commission will use them in forthcoming policy initiatives. The conference has also been the occasion to launch the Commission’s new portal for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), which pools all information on EU action of interest to SMEs.