Translation of "Atelier en ligne sur la petite entreprise " (French → English) :

With a contribution of approximately $755,000 through this initiative, Wave Accounting Incorporated, a Toronto company that developed online accounting software for small businesses, was able to leverage $1.5 million more from angel investment.

Last year we lost a small group RSP plan with a medium-sized firm in Ontario because the firm negotiated a line of credit—the lucky small business did get a line of credit from the bank—but the bank required them in return to transfer the group RSP plan that they had with us to them.

RECALLING that the Commission Communication to the Spring European Council "Working together for Growth and Jobs – a new start for the Lisbon strategy" , the Integrated Guidelines (2005-2008) for the re-launch of the Lisbon Strategy, and the Community Lisbon Programme submitted in May 2005, underline the key importance of SMEs in the context of the Lisbon mid-term review; RECALLING the important policy messages with regard to small enterprises contained in the Council conclusions on "stimulating entrepreneurship - European Charter for small enterprises" of 7 March 2005 , "research and innovation, growth and employment" of 28 November 20 ...[+++]05 , as well as in the contributions from the "Competitiveness" Council to the Spring European Council in 2004 and 2005 ; RECALLING the key importance of SMEs in the diffusion of more sustainable production and consumption patterns and the resulting need for more investment in knowledge-based skill and competitiveness; NOTES that evidence shows that SMEs, and in particular micro-enterprises, are disproportionately affected by administrative burdens and recalls the conclusions of the Competitiveness Council meeting of 28 and 29 November 2005 on better regulation; WELCOMES the proposed approach to SME policy contained in the Commission's communication "Implementing the Community Lisbon Programme - Modern SME policy for growth and employment" .

(11) It is appropriate to place special emphasis on the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), bearing in mind the European Charter for Small Enterprises endorsed by the Feira European Council, whose principles and eighth line for action aim to strengthen the technological capacity of small enterprises, and to facilitate access to the best research and technology.

Business support networks are well developed almost everywhere in candidate countries, especially in Poland where 153 regional offices provide services for enterprises, or in Turkey where almost 75,000 SMEs can share workshop and/or laboratory facilities in 313 industrial zones for small businesses all over the country.

In order to stimulate entrepreneurship and improve the business environment for small enterprises, the Heads of State or Government and the European Commission have decided to work on ten routes of action, i.e.: