Italian SMEs’ priorities at centre of CNA and MEPs meeting

Brussels – Italy’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) want to make their voices heard in Europe, and the Confederazione Nazionale dell’Artigianato e delle Piccole e Medie Imprese (CNA – Crafts and SMEs National Confederation) presented its ideas in a meeting event (Oct. 16) with members of the European Parliament.

“CNA definitely and convincingly is a pro-European association,” recalls Dario Costantini, President of the confederation. In Italy, “it represents 620,000 individuals in 1,100 locations, and we have 7,000 employees” and is part of an integrated European system as a member of SMEunited, the association of crafts and small and medium-sized enterprises in Europe, with about 70 member organizations from more than 30 European countries.

The collaboration with SMEunited, Costantini says, allowed CNA to do “a work we had never done,” drafting a decalogue of desiderata of Italian small and medium-sized enterprises, which were presented in the run-up to the 2024 European Parliament elections.

The green transition and energy sustainability are of interest to companies, so much so that Costantini mentioned that recycling and reusing discarded parts comes from small businesses, which have been doing it forever. Similarly, the digital transition, about which Costantini spoke of “myths to dispel“: SMEs are innovative, and 14.6 per cent of members already use artificial intelligence.

Among the priorities, the purely economic ones were not forgotten, such as the completion of the single market, the development of a common industrial policy and the need to attract investment, proposing a new economic model capable of activating public and private capital “to support research and innovation.” For CNA, enterprises must be put at the centre, with labour protection and the development of business-friendly legislation to adopt reforms tailored to SMEs.

Also important was the discussion of reducing inequalities between territories through infrastructure and dialogue with third countries, suppliers of raw materials and labour. In closing, the cruciality of dialogue between institutions and social partners was also reported among the key points for CNA.

CNA has put on the table what Italian SMEs would like from Europe, toward which there remains a degree of distrust. Europe must integrate its objectives with SMEs, which “in Italy are small indeed.”

For CNA, the Made in Italy should be protected, and the young component of the population should be stimulated to recover artisan trades: “Since 2008, 222 thousand artisan businesses have closed,” says Costantini. The president then launches a proposal to MEPs: a six-monthly meeting with MEPs, which he says “I think is also very good for you,” and an annual commitment to “a kind of crafts open day” to bring the EU and the world of craftsmanship closer together.