European Commission President José Manuel Barroso last week mentioned SMEs just five times in the 43-page document, which sets out his priorities for the next five years.
The document emphasised the need to restore economic stability and create jobs, while promising to foster a new entrepreneurial culture in Europe.
Barroso acknowledged the need to level the playing field in order to give SMEs access to markets. He also stressed that smarter regulation would be required in order to strike a balance between consumer protection and "strangling" SMEs with red tape.
French business groups expressed surprise that the Commission president had neglected to name-check the Small Business Act, which has been a flagship project for outgoing Enterprise Commissioner Günter Verheugen.
Jean-François Roubaud, president of the General Federation of SMEs (CGPME), said implementing all elements of the Small Business Act in each of Europe's 27 member states should remain a priority.
Jean-Claude Karpeles, president of Club Europe Chamber of Commerce and Industry, strongly agreed, while noting that the SBA was nothing more than good intentions from the European Commission unless implemented at national level.
SMEs welcome commitment to private company statute
Unsurprisingly, Barroso's pledge to pursue a European private company statute was warmly welcomed, as this move would greatly facilitate the exposure of French SME to the European single market.
Reservations remain concerning support for SMEs seeking to expand into fast-growing emerging markets. According to Karpeles, this greater internationalisation in the small business sector will not be realistic unless SMEs are provided with a thorough review of these countries. He praised the attention given to technological innovation at the service of sustainable development, as this is a niche SMEs are likely to occupy.
Environmental concern is widely shared, according to Karpeles, but he stressed that government intervention in this area should not distort competition.
'Best Commission SMEs have ever had'
Business groups in Brussels were less inclined to criticise President Barroso's plan, preferring instead to remind the Commission of its priorities for the coming five-year term.
Economic and Fiscal Policy Director Gerhard Huemer said the Barroso Commission will be remembered fondly by SMEs.
"If you look at what the Commission did in the last five years with Barroso and Verheugen, it was the best Commission SMEs have ever had," he said.
He said the Commissioner president's speech was designed to push all the right buttons without having time to go into great depth on any particular issue.
"The document points to the right challenges and makes clear that we need a strong Europe on the international stage. We want to see fair competition, balanced competition, and social stability".
Huemer said it would be unfair to expect a great detail on entrepreneurship or on cutting red tape in such a wide-ranging document. "In any case we don't need a second Small Business Act – we need to make the SBA work."
