Leitl said SMEs continue to be worst hit by the banking crisis that began more than a year ago, as businesses face ongoing difficulty accessing credit.
He praised the achievements of the EU executive's current enterprise chief Günter Verheugen and said the Small Business Act published in June 2008 has the potential to breed major changes for entrepreneurs.
The honorary president of Eurochambres, which represents EU chambers of commerce, said the next European Commission's priorities should be the development of the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs, the creation of an enterprise-friendly environment and the completion of the single market. He said the next five years should also bring a significant reduction in red tape and an overhaul of how financial markets are regulated.
In all of this, Leitl said small firms should be prioritised. "SMEs are suffering most from the current crisis. They should get all the help they need. But also when the crisis is over, SMEs should not be left behind. All policies should be made in view of the needs and demands of small enterprises. The Small Business Act was only the first policy step," he said.
Smaller employers, he noted, are less inclined to lay off staff that easily in times of crisis and are therefore a stabilising force in a volatile employment market.
Discussing the prospects for family-owned companies, Leitl said research in Austria had shown 57,500 SMEs would be faced with the challenge of finding a successor to take over the business over the next decade.
"An ever increasing number of companies find successors from outside the family so it is indeed less common for a family business to be passed on to the next generation," Leitl said.
Turning to opportunities for European SMEs in emerging markets, he said entering the Chinese market is especially tricky due to regional disparities and cultural differences.
"Legal transparency, insufficient protection of intellectual property rights and corruption can still be problematic. In addition international and local competition is increasing constantly," he said, adding that China still holds "great opportunities" if businesses get the right support.
Christophe Leitel was speaking to Gary Finnegan.
