Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in European Regions and Cities

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) make up the backbone of the European economy. According to the Annual Report on SMEs 2014 produced by DG Enterprise and Industry, SMEs account for 99% of all businesses, provide 67% of all employment, and almost 60% of the value added in the EU. The majority of SMEs and SME activity is concentrated in the largest EU member states. Together Spain, France, Italy, Germany and the UK account for more than 60% of the total number of SMEs as well as the share of total employment.
However, in spite of the strong presence of SMEs in Europe and their contribution to employment and growth, a systematic and comparative overview and analysis of SMEs at regional level is missing. Thus, there is a strong impetus for this research activity on SMEs with a territorial focus that can provide regions and cities with knowledge and evidence on their SME sectors. Importantly, this territorial evidence and knowledge needs to focus on options for SME development in order to enable more targeted and tailormade public initiatives at regional level, strengthening their contribution to economic growth and employment in European regions and cities.

The main objective of this project is to map and analyse the territorial patterns and performance of SMEs in Europe, and to propose territorial development strategies that can be considered in different regions and cities to further strengthen the development and sustainability of the SMEs.

Projektdatenbank der Schweizer Regionalentwicklung

Base de données des projets du développement régional suisse

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