Invitation to consultation on the interim evaluation of the programme for the competitiveness of enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (COSME) (2014-2020)

Submitted by Alina Danieles… on 07 August 2017

10 May 2017 - 31 August 2017

Objective of the consultation

This public consultation is part of the interim evaluation of the COSME Programme.

COSME is Europe’s Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). It started in 2014  and lasts until 2020 with a financial envelope of €2.3 billion.

The programme encompasses several actions to reach its 4 objectives, which are to

  • improve access to finance for SMEs through dedicated financial instruments

  • help SMEs' access to markets mainly through the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), the IPR SME helpdesks and Your Europe Business portal

  • foster a favourable environment for enterprises and competitiveness for business creation and growth by reducing administrative burden, supporting smart and SME-friendly regulation, modernising industries and facilitating SMEs' access to public procurement

  • promote entrepreneurship mainly by offering mentoring or tailored schemes to entrepreneurs

The regulation establishing the COSME programme states that “by 2018 at the latest, the Commission shall establish an interim evaluation report”.

The report will:

  • assess the programme at mid-term

  • contribute to improving the implementation

  • provide an evidence-base for future activities and initiatives

The evaluation covers the activities from 2014 to 2016 for the EU countries and the COSME participating countries.

Target group

The general public and all stakeholders, in particular

  • small and medium-sized companies (SMEs)

  • SMEs stakeholders including SME business organisations

  • public authorities

The Commission will consult representatives of COSME countries’ public administrations and key SME stakeholders separately. Nevertheless, we encourage them to also contribute to this public consultation.

To participate in the consultation, please see the the link here.

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