Small and medium enterprises, oxygen for Romania

With less than 30 SMEs per thousand inhabitants, Romania was last year on the last places in the European Union on the indicator that shows the level of oxygen in the economy.

SMEs are the engine of the economy, but in situations such as the Covid-19 crisis, they are the first to suffer from lack of business consolidation, lack of financial capital, business structure, crisis budget allocation, contingency plan, internal or external communication with employees – suppliers, customers.

Almost 61% of small and medium private companies in Romania reduced their activity in 2020, according to the paper “White Paper on SMEs in Romania 2020”.

80% of SMEs do not have an updated financial strategy in the context of the pandemic, which is dynamic and given multiple scenarios and they lack the reserve fund to rely on in the coming months. The implementation of the 2021 business strategy depends for some SMEs on government subsidies and other economic and fiscal measures.

Although the economic and health crisis has affected more than half of SMEs, there are many companies with a desire to develop both in the domestic and foreign markets, as well as entrepreneurs willing to reorient or even start . Many successful entrepreneurs are business angels, and their experience, business consultants and banks can be useful to those who have and develop SMEs.

INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT:
The European Parliament and the European Commission are reviewing the EU’s SME strategy, taking supportive measures and allocating money to member countries for this purpose.
The EP recalls, in a resolution adopted last year, that liquidity must be made available to SMEs quickly and that recapitalization measures for SMEs should also be strengthened and urges the Member States and the Commission to address the issue of payments made to SMEs. . delay, which continues to create significant liquidity problems for SMEs.

INTERNAL CONTEXT:
Measures on start-ups and SMEs in the governing program of the new executive.
Continuation of Start-Up support programs to the extent of technical capacity and budget allocations. Estimated beneficiaries – 10,000 SMEs.
Development of a youth guarantee product for all government and European business start-up funding schemes (eg Innotech student programs, revised start-up nation, etc.). Criteria for granting the guarantee scheme for young people starting businesses with potential for rapid development, with a focus on high technology and innovation.
Creating a one-stop shop for entrepreneurs with all existing funding opportunities (national and European – not only for those in the future multiannual financial framework, but also for the next generation EU and those who have submitted directly to the European Commission), intelligence system artificial / APR that allows easy identification of possible and timely sources of funding depending on the particular situation of each entrepreneur.

TOPICS OF DISSCUSION

• The measures taken by companies in the current crisis generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, but also those at the national strategic level.
• The price of oil and natural gas and their influence on companies and consumers in the current context generated by the coronavirus crisis.
• How will the extractive industry be affected? What will happen to the planned investments? What about the exploitation of the Black Sea gas?
• Gas transport and integration with the regional market – interconnectivity. Infrastructure investments.
• Romania’s energy strategy – needs to be rebuilt? When will it be approved? How will the EU Green Deal and the coronavirus crisis be influenced?
• Liberalization of the market and offers to consumers – energy suppliers come to your home with new contracts. How do we choose the supplier of electricity and natural gas?

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