Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are businesses whose personnel and revenue numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation "SME" is used by international organizations such as the World Bank, the OECD, European Union, the United Nations, and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
State aid in the European Union is the name given to a subsidy or any other aid provided by a government that distorts competition. Under European Union competition law, the term has a legal meaning, being any measure that demonstrates any of the characteristics in Article 107 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, in that if it distorts competition or the free market, it is classified by the European Union as illegal state aid. Measures that fall within the definition of state aid are considered unlawful unless provided under an exemption or notified by the European Commission. In 2019, the EU member states provided state aid corresponding to 0.81% of the bloc's GDP.
The Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology is a Directorate-General of the European Commission and is responsible for EU investment in research, innovation and development of critical digital technologies.
Private sector development (PSD) is a term in the international development industry to refer to a range of strategies for promoting economic growth and reducing poverty in developing countries by building private enterprises. This could be through working with firms directly, with membership organisations to represent them, or through a range of areas of policy and regulation to promote functioning, competitive markets.
The Directorate-General for Competition is a Directorate-General of the European Commission, located in Brussels. The DG Competition employs around 850 officials, as well as a number of seconded national officials, among other from national competition authorities. It is responsible for establishing and implementing competition policy for the European Union. DG Competition has a dual role in antitrust enforcement: an investigative role and a decision-making role. The current Director-General is Olivier Guersent.
The Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion is a Directorate-General of the European Commission. It was formerly known as the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.
The Directorate-General for Trade is a Directorate-General of the European Commission. The European Commission's Directorate- General for Trade develops and implements the EU's trade policy in order to help secure prosperity, solidarity and security in Europe and around the globe. It covers a wide area from manufactured goods to services, intellectual property and investment.
The Commissioner for Internal Market is a member of the European Commission. The post is currently held by Commissioner Thierry Breton.
The Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship was a vice-president of the European Commission.
The Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) of the European Commission is meant to improve the competitiveness of European companies facing the challenges of globalization. The programme is mainly aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which will receive support for innovation activities, better access to finance and business support services. It will run from 2007 to 2013.
The Enterprise Europe Network provides support for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) with international ambitions. Co-funded by the European Union's COSME and Horizon 2020 programmes, the Network's aim is to help businesses innovate and grow internationally.
The Juncker Commission was the European Commission in office from 1 November 2014 to 30 November 2019. Its president was Jean-Claude Juncker, who presided over 27 other commissioners. In July 2014, Juncker was officially elected to succeed José Manuel Barroso, who completed his second five-year term in that year.
The Secretary of State for Energy is a senior official within the Ministry for the Ecological Transition of the Government of Spain. The Secretary of State is appointed by the Monarch after being nominated by the Council of Ministers with the advice of the Minister for the Ecological Transition.
The Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space is a department of the European Commission.
Androulla Kaminara is a Cypriot European civil servant who from September 2019 to May 2022 served as the Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. As such, she was the first female ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan. Before her appointment to the European External Action Service, she joined the European Commission in 1991, where she has served in various Directorates General, including those dealing with technology, communications, development cooperation, international relations, and humanitarian aid.
Kerstin Jorna is the European Commission's Director-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. She is a German lawyer, fluent in four languages who has been a civil servant for the European Union since 1990.
Iwona Daria Piórko-Bermig is a European Union civil servant from Poland, since 2021 serving as the European Union ambassador to Singapore.
Territorial supply constraints (TSCs) are restrictions imposed by some multi-national manufacturers in the fast-moving consumer-goods sector to prevent retailers and wholesalers from sourcing where they wish within the European Single Market.
The Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) is the EU's response to foreign subsidies not tackled by the World Trade Organization framework, notably from China. It aims to prevent subsidies that distort trading conditions. Starting on 12 July 2023, companies receiving distortive amounts of subsidies from non-EU countries cannot conduct large mergers affecting the internal market and cannot obtain large public procurement contracts in the EU.
