Brussels, 14 July 2010 – Speaking at a SME Union conference today, EU Commissioner for the Digital Agenda Mrs. Neelie Kroes insisted on the strong SME focus of the recently released Digital Agenda that sets the roadmap for the next 5 years of European ICT policy.
Referring to the Commission’s EU 2020 strategy, Mrs. Kroes considered that “if Europe is to achieve long term and sustainable growth, it must go through SMEs”: “I see ICT as having a central role in this. In today's economic environment growing smartly means growing digitally. We recognize that by making the Digital Agenda an SME Agenda.” The Commissioner considered that SMEs have a crucial role to play in the development of a digital single market, but also that the Commission has to help SMEs have a fair access to it. According to Mrs. Kroes, the lack of telecoms single market is ”a nightmare for many SMEs”: “Why should they have to travel around Europe juggling SIM cards and paying a fortune to communicate? A modern entrepreneur wants to have continuous access to all his or her business information travelling around the world with a smart-phone and laptop.” Mrs. Kroes expressed her confidence that the Commission would present a structural solution for a telecoms single market by 2011. Mrs. Kroes also recognized the essential role played by ICT SMEs for European innovation, describing it as a “virtuous circle of digital activity”: “When one SME breaks through because of its innovation, it ultimately drags many other SMEs along with it.“ She expressed the Commission’s full support to innovative ICT SMEs, clarifying that “the Commission – whether via my advice or my colleague Joaquin Almunia – will not allow small players to be trampled because of their disruptive ideas.” Considering that “the Internet is the best news for SMEs since the beginning of capitalism”, Mrs. Kroes defined her overall objective as “to enable SMEs to fully exploit the potential of the Internet”. Addressing the SMEs representatives including PIN-SME in the audience, she concluded: “with me you have a friend in the Commission looking to give a voice to SME needs every step of the way.” The full speech of Commissioner Kroes can be found at the following e-address: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/10/388&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=fr
ETSI has launched a European Commission–funded project on a proactive approach to SME participation in standardization. This project is known as STF 376. Results of this project will be presented at a workshop organized on the 8th of July 2010 in Vienna. ETSI would like to invite you to attend this workshop, which is hosted by the Wirtschaftskammer Wien, UBIT (Unternehmensberater und Informationstechnologie, Vienna Chamber of Commerce, Professional Association of Management Consultants and Information Technology). The project aims to develop tools, advice and promotional material to enable advisors and SMEs support agencies to properly explain the benefits of participation in ETSI standardization to SMEs. Attendees expected at the workshop include the project team from ETSI, representatives of the European Commission, NORMAPME, PIN-SME, national SME promotion or development agencies, and of course representatives from SMEs involved in standardization. A detailed agenda will be provided closer to the date of the workshop and will be available from the ETSI Events website (http://www.etsi.org/events ). Venue and details: Date: 8th July 2010 Time: 10.00 to 17.00 Location: Wirtschaftskammer Wien, Schwarzenbergplatz 14, 1041 Vienna, Austria Link to location map: http://portal.wko.at/wk/kontakt_dst.wk?dstid=5344 You are requested to register in order to attend this workshop. Online registration is now open. Attendance at the workshop is free and is open to non-members of ETSI. Registration will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis. Please register at: http://webapp.etsi.org/meetingcalendar/MeetingDetails.asp?mid=12839
Commissioner Mrs. Neelie Kroes and her spokesman Mr. Jonathan Todd at press conference for release of Digital Agenda Brussels, 20 May 2010 – Neelie Kroes, the European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, unveiled on the 19th of May the long awaited Digital Agenda for Europe, setting the European ICT roadmap for the next five years. The document identifies seven areas of priority: achieving a digital single market, fostering interoperability through ICT standards, increasing trust and security on the internet, expanding broadband, increasing investment in research and development, enhancing digital literacy, skills and inclusion, and reaping the societal benefits of ICT (in environment, healthcare, culture, eGovernment and transport). As Commissioner for Competition Policy, Mrs. Kroes was known for her support to interoperability and open standards. This echoed SME ideas on ICT standards and was warmly supported both by PIN-SME, and by NORMAPME. In a letter, the association of ICT SMEs encouraged Mrs. Kroes to continue supporting interoperability and open standards as Commissioner for the Digital Agenda. PIN-SME welcomes the agenda’s focus on fostering interoperability and openness, which are key to establishing a more ICT SME friendly digital ecosystem. In particular, PIN-SME welcomes the agenda’s strong stance on interoperability and ex-ante disclosure rules for essential IPR and licensing terms in standard setting. The document is available at the following e-address: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/digital-agenda/documents/digital-agenda-communication-en.pdf
Brussels, 22 April 2010 – The “Digital Agenda for Europe” due to be unveiled by the European Commission later this month must include a clear reference to the importance of open standards and interoperability, according to PIN-SME, the association representing the interests of Europe’s ICT SME sector. In a public letter sent to Commissioner Kroes (1), PIN-SME welcomed her recent declarations in favour of interoperability and open standards and pointed out that both are essential for Europe’s innovation and particularly for ICT small businesses. “The European Commission should not miss this opportunity to express clear support to interoperability and open standards; such support would indeed boost confidence amongst ICT SMEs and facilitate innovation”, said Bruno Robine, President of PIN-SME. According to late rumours, the Digital Agenda for Europe that will be presented in late April might not include a reference to the importance of Open Standards for Interoperability. “I believe that such an omission would be damaging to the interest of the European ICT SMEs”, stated Mr Robine. The letter of PIN-SME further elaborates on the following principles: • Preference to open standards in public procurement; • Enforcement of rules for ex-ante disclosure of IPRs and license conditions in standard-setting; • Promotion of further interoperability of applications based on de facto standards. Click here to download the letter of PIN-SME to Commissioner Kroes
PIN-SME, alongside the European Commission (DG Enterprise – eBSN), CeBIT, UEAPME and G+F Unternehmensgruppe, held the first “European CeBIT Forum for Competitiveness and Growth in SMEs 2010” during the 2010 edition of the CeBIT fair in Hannover. 
The event included two round-table discussions with ICT entrepreneurs, representatives from SME federations (including PIN-SME) and policy makers. The discussions were broadcasted live on the internet and the eparticipants had the opportunity to directly intervene in the debate. 
The roundtables provided fresh inputs to the discussions on competitiveness, e-skills policies and ICT SMEs; the full streaming video of the event can be found at the following link 
The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, agreed during last December to abandon its case against Microsoft over its Internet-browser tying practices, after Microsoft legally committed to market rival browsers alongside its own Internet Explorer. Mrs. Neelie Kroes – then European Commissioner for Competition, now in charge of the Digital Agenda – considered
that Microsoft's commitments both on browsers and interoperability should be seen in very positive light.
By asking Microsoft to deliver a ballot screen of browser choices to Windows users in Europe, the commission is expecting to increase the market share of rival browsers, which include Mozilla's Firefox, Google's Chrome, Apple's Safari and Opera's browser. Microsoft will also allow computer manufacturers to pre-install competing Web browsers, or have the option to exclude Internet Explorer
completely. PIN-SME, which has been involved as third-party in the case, welcomes the commitment made by Microsoft and is looking forward to its good implementation in practice, which has already started: from the beginning of March, users of Windows PCs who have Internet Explorer as default web browser are being provided with the browser Choice Screen. Microsoft must now report to the commission every six months on the process of changing its practice, and may be asked to make some adjustments.
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