In its five-decade existence, the European community has gone through several economic, political and social crises, each time emerging stronger, said MEP Iuliu Winkler (UDMR, EPP) on Friday, in Sibiu, at the end of the Economic Conference entitled “Rethinking economic policy for European SMEs”.
“Europe is undergoing a deep and multilayered crisis, an often-debated issue in the public sphere. Nonetheless, there are rather few references to the fact that, though Europe has witnessed several economic, political and social crises in the past five decades, it has always managed to come out stronger in their aftermath. The same will happen this time. The solution to these multiple EU crises can be found in more European cooperation, greater efficiency and better care for its citizens. (…) It is rightly said that SMEs are the backbone of European economies, and this is true for Sibiu and for the whole of Transylvania. In the following period, all operational programs related to the 2014-2020 budget cycle will be opened in Romania and will bring forth particularly important development opportunities for SMEs in the IT sector, in increased competitiveness, as well as in research and innovation. All these opportunities can be better utilized if Transylvanian businesses connect more intensely to European economic and trade flows, should we grant more time to constructing links between us and the more advanced EU economies. A period of numerous possibilities is looming. It is up to us to use these in our favor. Any prosperous and profitable SME will lead to job creation and will contribute to the local economy, bringing prosperity to each member of said community”, argued Winkler.
The economic conference in Sibiu discussed the adjustment of SMEs from regional markets towards the global dimension, as well as European politics for grants and funding.
The conference saw the participation of various distinguished speakers, including the high-level contributions of MEPs Paul Rübig (Austria) and Ivan ©tefanec (Slovakia), along with the former Vice-President of the European Parliament, currently president of the European Economic Senate, Ingo Friedrich. From the Romanian economic environment, Ágnes Nagy, Board Member of the National Bank of Romania, Chief Inspector of the Territorial Labor Inspectorate Sibiu, Francis Szombatfalvi and Zoltan Nagy-Bege, President of the Bucharest branch of the Association of Hungarian Economists in Romania, further facilitated the debate. Furthermore, the event saw the support of the mayor of Sibiu, Cora Astrid Fodor, and the County Council Vice-President, Constantin ªovãialã, with a valuable appearance by Carmen Mãrcuș, economic analyst – Europe 2020 Strategy and economic governance – of the European Commission Representation in Bucharest
The conference occasioned direct contact between members of an important delegation of business- and professional associations from Germany and Austria and representatives of the business environment in Sibiu.
This Sibiu Conference, whose main organizer was SME Europe, the European People´s Party´s lobbying organization, has enjoyed the patronage of European Commissioner Elzbieta Bieñkowska.
