SMEunited Calls for 20% of Next EU Budget Funds to Support SMEs
The association is urging EU leaders to reduce red tape, improve conditions for investment and ease cross-border trade, warning that new obligations could undermine small firms’ competitiveness.
SMEunited has called on European Union leaders to allocate 20% of the funds in the next long-term EU budget to tools and projects supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, placing investment and regulatory simplification at the centre of its proposed strategy to revive the European economy.
At the Tripartite Social Summit in Brussels, the association’s president, Davide Galli, set out four priorities: reducing regulatory burdens, restoring entrepreneurs’ control over their liquidity, securing a budget that supports investment and skills, and making the Single Market work for businesses trading across borders. SMEunited presented its demands on behalf of Europe’s 34 million SMEs, according to its statement.
“Europe should show trust in entrepreneurs, reduce burdens, and create the conditions that allow small businesses to invest, innovate, and grow,” Galli said. “If we want to relaunch the European economy, SMEs must be at the centre of the plan.”
The summit brings together the leadership of EU institutions and European social partners to discuss economic and employment priorities. This edition’s agenda focuses on the next EU budget and a Single Market that delivers for businesses and workers.
Investment and Skills in the Next EU Budget
Galli urged negotiators to find a balanced agreement and conclude discussions on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) before the end of 2026. The proposed 20% allocation is a demand from SMEunited, which wants SME-focused instruments and projects to help companies invest, manage the green and digital transitions, and grow.
Regulatory Burdens, Packaging and Employment
On regulation, Galli argued that progress at EU level had yet to change the everyday conditions facing smaller companies. He called for faster movement on the omnibus simplification proposals and an end to gold-plating, the addition of national requirements beyond those established by EU legislation.
SMEunited’s secretary-general, Véronique Willems, reinforced the call for legislative restraint. She identified new packaging rules as a source of administrative burden and legal uncertainty, particularly for SMEs operating across national borders.
Willems urged adoption of the Environmental Omnibus before the end of October, reflecting the association’s push for simplification measures to deliver practical relief.
She also argued that the forthcoming Quality Jobs Act should not introduce additional obligations for SME employers, placing the implementation burden on smaller businesses at the centre of the employment-policy discussion.
Applying Think Small First to New Legislation
Galli called for the Think Small First principle to guide future initiatives, including the Digital Fairness Act and the Product Act. SMEunited wants policymakers to assess simplicity, feasibility and proportionality when designing requirements for smaller firms.
The association argues that SMEs already operate within a strict framework intended to protect consumers’ health and safety. It warned that unnecessary obligations and overlapping rules could undermine the shared objectives of higher productivity and competitiveness.
“As a social partner, we are ready to make this relaunch a reality,” Galli said.
