The announcement was made on the occasion of the 1st SME Assembly, organised by the European Commission (DG ENTR) and hosted under the Cyprus EU Presidency. This new important event aims to further stimulate SME growth and support new start-ups at all levels of governance. The CoR strongly supports these objectives and stresses the role of the European Entrepreneurial Region (EER) award label in order to mainstream the implementation of the Small Business Act for Europe (SBA) at regional level and encourage regions to develop an entrepreneurial vision for their territory.
EU regions and local authorities can apply by submitting their policy strategies which focus on their entrepreneurial vision for their region. A jury will then award up to three EU regions, irrespective of their size, wealth and competences, the label: "Entrepreneurial Region of the Year 2014".
Mr. Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso (ES/EPP), President of the CoR, President of the region of Murcia and EER Jury Chair stated: "It is paramount to deliver on growth and jobs through entrepreneurship-friendly measures. The European Entrepreneurial Region label can certainly serve as a starting point to develop an integrated action plan supporting all SMEs within your region. This is why I call upon all regional representatives to submit their applications for the 2014 European Entrepreneurial Region label until 28 February 2013."
European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, responsible for industry and entrepreneurship, underlined that: "The European Entrepreneurial Region label has proven to be an important driver to implement the Small Business Act for Europe at regional level. I fully support the networking of entrepreneurial-minded regions across Europe. The key to receiving the EER award label is a region's inspiring political vision to boost its entrepreneurial activity."
Mrs. Simone Beissel (LU/ALDE), Chair of the CoR's Commission for Economic and Social Policy (ECOS), underlined "If we are serious about building a stronger Europe, more resilient to the effects of the economic crisis, more has to be done to effectively implement the SBA at local and regional level. The EER regions could serve as benchmarks in this respect."
What is the EER?
The aim is to create dynamic, green and innovative regions throughout Europe, encourage entrepreneurship, implement the "Small Business Act for Europe" (SBA) and contribute to the Europe 2020 strategy at regional and local level. The regions with the most convincing and forward-thinking strategy will be granted the label "Entrepreneurial Region of the Year".
Why should regions apply for the EER Label?
- Recognition at the European level for your forward-looking strategy to strengthen entrepreneurial thinking within your region;
- Becoming a member of the network of awarded EER regions means learning innovative policy and finance measures from each other and sharing good practices;
- The EER label can serve as a springboard within your region to help increase your region's attractiveness for new investment whilst exploring new paths towards sustainable growth and increased employment.
How to apply?
To apply, regional authorities are required to submit a vision plan with an action plan including implementation measures and proposed communication activities
by email, and not later than 28 February 2013, to the EER secretariat:
eer-cdr@cor.europa.eu. Regions should demonstrate that the EER strategy is backed by a political commitment, and should show clearly which institutions and actors will be responsible for implementing these measures.
Previous EER label winners:
| Land Brandenburg - DE |
Catalonia - ES |
Nord-Pas de Calais - FR |
| Kerry County - IE |
Helsinki-Uusimaa Region - FI |
Southern Denmark - DK |
| Murcia Region - ES |
Trnava Self-Governing Region - SK |
Styria - AT |
