125:, claiming a violation of its own right to negotiate. The complaint was dismissed in June 1998, but the court case created political momentum for the opening of discussions with UNICE, according to the principle of mutual recognition. In November of the same year, the two organisations reached an agreement, further to which UEAPME became a recognised participant in the European social dialogue.
114:
89:). The acronym UEAPME was made official in this incorporation and stands for “Union Européenne de l’Artisanat et des Petites et Moyennes Enterprises”, i.e. the European Union of Crafts and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. In February 2019, the name was changed to SMEunited.
48:
level. Its 67 member organisations from 34 European countries consist of national cross-sectorial SME federations, European branch federations and other associate members. Its members combined represent more than 12 million enterprises, which employ around 50 million
157:
The full members of SMEunited are composed of representative national, cross-sectoral organisations representing craft activities and/or SME businesses in the different sectors of the economy within the
European Union. Full members have the right to vote.
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SMEunited is run by a
Secretariat based in Brussels consisting of 20 staff members working in thematic directorates. The Secretariat also includes an administrative section, a press office and a Study Unit. The current President is
121:(ETUC). In 1996, the first negotiations between UNICE, CEEP and ETUC led to the conclusion of a framework agreement on parental leave. UEAPME challenged the validity of the directive implementing the agreement before the
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Associate members from non-EU countries: this group is composed of national associations of craft industries and of SME businesses from
European countries that are not members of the European Union.
477:
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SMEunited counts more than 67 member organisations spanning across all Member States of the EU and beyond, representing 12 million enterprises and nearly 55 million employees.
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Other associate members this category is made of all types of institutions and organisations, which are involved in craft and/or SME activities and support the SME family.
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462:
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Monitoring the EU policy and legislative process and keeping its members informed on all matters of
European Union policy of relevance to crafts, trades and SMEs;
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Internal market and legal affairs (better regulation, services, consumer protection, IPR, company law, State aid, ADR, collective redress, small claims)
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Representing and promoting the interests, needs and opinions of its member organisations to the EU institutions and other international organisations;
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European sectoral organisations this category is composed of
European and International organisations representing SMEs in a specific trade sector.
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281:"Union Européenne de l'Artisanat et des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises (UEAPME) v. Council of the European Union, Case T-135/96 (1998)"
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The SMEunited structure also includes a Board of
Directors as well as several Committees, Working Groups and Task Forces.
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Employment and social affairs (European Social
Dialogue, labour law, social protection, social inclusion)
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European Centre of
Enterprises with Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest
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Environmental policy (sustainable development, chemicals, waste policy, energy policy, climate change)
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Education and vocational training (lifelong learning, recognition and transparency of qualifications)
85:, where it was established in 1991 as an international not for profit association under Belgian law (
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Enterprise policy (access to finance, standardisation, CSR, R&D, internationalisation of SMEs)
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Supporting its members academically, technically and legally on all areas of EU policy;
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Supporting the idea of
European integration and contributing to European co-operation.
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Associate members attend and speak at SMEunited meetings, but have no voting rights.
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Sectoral policies (construction, healthcare, foodstuffs, retail, tourism, transport)
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UEAPME was founded in 1980. The first headquarters of the association were in
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Economic and fiscal policy (Lisbon strategy, macroeconomic policy, taxation)
44:. SMEunited represents the interests of European crafts, trades and SMEs at
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Some of the key EU legislative areas in which SMEunited is active include:
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77:. After some years in Germany, the organisation moved its headquarters to
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258:"UEAPME statutes on the Belgian Ministry of Justice website (PDF)"
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The aims of SMEunited as written in its statutes are as follows:
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European
Association of Craft, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
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SMEunited profile on the European Union Transparency Register
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Organizations related to small and medium-sized enterprises
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As of 1998, UEAPME is a European Social Partner alongside
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478:Pan-European trade and professional organizations
166:SMEunited has three types of associate members.
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327:"Committees, Working Groups and Task Forces"
377:"Associate members from non-EU countries"
427:"Other associate and sponsoring members"
458:Business organisations based in Belgium
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463:Business organizations based in Europe
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210:Regional policy and structural funds
138:, from Austria, since January 2016.
119:European Trade Union Confederation
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402:"European sectoral organisations"
123:European Court of First Instance
30:umbrella group for associations
1:
57:. SMEunited is a recognised
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233:SMEunited Twitter account
468:Employers' organizations
429:. UEAPME. Archived from
404:. UEAPME. Archived from
379:. UEAPME. Archived from
354:. UEAPME. Archived from
329:. UEAPME. Archived from
304:. UEAPME. Archived from
113:(previously UNICE), the
59:European Social Partner
184:Main areas of activity
302:"Board of Directors"
136:Ulrike Rabmer-Koller
283:. Eur-lex.europa.eu
162:Associate members
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352:"Full members"
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218:External links
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452:Categories
437:2013-09-02
412:2013-09-02
387:2013-09-02
362:2013-09-02
337:2013-09-02
312:2013-09-02
287:2013-09-02
266:2013-09-02
24:(formerly
129:Structure
36:based in
22:SMEunited
243:NORMAPME
79:Brussels
38:Brussels
28:) is an
145:Members
83:Belgium
75:Germany
65:History
53:across
42:Belgium
71:Munich
55:Europe
51:people
26:UEAPME
261:(PDF)
87:AISBL
34:SMEs
16:The
32:of
20:or
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46:EU
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