Event hosted by MEP Alexander Agius Saliba.
Starting from China, the COVID-19 outbreak has taken Europe by storm, forcing national governments to implement drastic measures and citizens to practice social distancing to minimize transmission. Although necessary, these measures have an undeniable impact on the European economy and especially SMEs, its backbone. While SMEs play a fundamental role in the value chain of essential industries, they suffer from the disruption of global distribution chains and lack resources to ensure business continuity planning and invest in digitalization solutions to comply with the preventive measures taken by Member States. The European Commission has launched a common European response to minimize the socio-economic impact of the outbreak, but more coordination is still needed in its national implementation.
Supporting European SMEs during this time is necessary to prepare the path of Europe’s recovery and boost economic growth.