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Small and medium enterprise or small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs, small and medium-sized businesses, SMBs and variations thereof) are companies whose personnel numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation "SME" is used in the European Union and by international organizations such as the World Bank, the United Nations and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The term "small and medium businesses" (or "SMBs") is predominantly used in the USA. In most economies, smaller enterprises outnumber large companies by a wide margin. SMEs are said to be responsible for driving innovation and competition in many economic sectors.

Europe[link]

EU member states have had individual definitions of what constitutes an SME. For example, the definition in Germany had a limit of 255 employees, while in Belgium it could have been 100.

In July 2011, the European Commission said it would open a consultation on the definition of SMEs in 2012. In Europe, there are three broad parameters which define SMEs: micro-entities are companies with up to 10 employees; small companies employ up to 50 workers, whilst medium-sized enterprises have up to 250 employees.^[1] SMEs are also defined as firms with either revenues of €10–50 million or a balance-sheet total of €10–43&nbsp

United States[link]

In the United States, the Small Business Administration sets small business criteria based on industry, ownership structure, revenue and number of employees (which in some circumstances may be as high as 1,500, although the cap is typically 500).^[2] Both the US and the EU generally use the same threshold of fewer than 10 employees for small offices (SOHO).

[edit] India

Micro-enterprise

A micro-enterprise is one where the investment in plant and machinery (their original cost excluding land, building and items specified by the Ministry of Small Scale Industries in its notification No. S.O. 1722(E) dated October 5, 2006) does not exceed Rs.25 lakh.

Small enterprise

A small enterprise is one where the investment in plant and machinery (see above) is more than Rs.25 lakh but does not exceed Rs.5 crore.

Medium enterprise

A medium enterprise is one where the investment in plant and machinery (see above) is more than Rs.5 crore but does not exceed Rs.10 crore.

The definition of MSMEs in the service sector is:

• Micro-enterprise: Investment in equipment does not exceed Rs.10 lakh
• Small enterprise: Investment in equipment is more than Rs.10 lakh but does not exceed Rs.2 crore
• Medium enterprise: Investment in equipment is more than Rs.2 crore

The Indian micro- and small-enterprises (MSEs) sector plays a pivotal role in the country's industrial economy. It is estimated that in value, the sector accounts for about 39 percent of manufacturing output and about 33 percent of total exports. In recent years, the MSE sector has consistently registered a higher growth rate than the overall industrial sector. The major advantage of the MSE sector is its employment potential at a low capital cost. According to available statistics, the sector employs an estimated 31 million people in 12.8 million enterprises; labor intensity in the MSE sector is estimated to be nearly four times that of large enterprises.^[3]

Kenya[link]

In Kenya, the term is SME (for "small, medium and micro enterprises"); elsewhere in Africa, MSME stands for "micro, small and medium enterprises". Maximum number of employees = ? maximum revenue or turnover

South Africa[link]

In South Africa, the term is SMME (for "small, medium and micro enterprises"); elsewhere in Africa, MSME stands for "micro, small and medium enterprises".

Canada[link]

Industry Canada defines a small business as one with fewer than 100 employees (if the business is a goods-producing one) or fewer than 50 employees (if the business is service-based), and a medium-sized business as one with fewer than 500 employees.

New Zealand[link]

In New Zealand, a SME has 19 or fewer employees.

Nigeria[link]

The Central Bank of Nigeria defines small and medium enterprises in Nigeria according to asset base and number of staff employed. The criteria are an asset base between N5 million and N500 million, and a staff strength between 11 and 300 employees.

See also[link]

• Small and medium enterprises in Mexico
• Small business

References[link]

Antonio Tajani
Tajani in a 2006 EPP Summit
European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 February 2010
President	José Manuel Barroso
Preceded by	Günter Verheugen (Enterprise and Industry)
European Commissioner for Transport
In office 9 May 2008 – 9 February 2010
President	José Manuel Barroso
Preceded by	Jacques Barrot
Succeeded by	Siim Kallas
Member of the European Parliament for Italy
In office 19 July 1994 – 9 May 2008
Personal details
Born	(1953-08-04) 4 August 1953 (age 58) Rome, Italy
Political party	People of Freedom
Alma mater	Sapienza University of Rome
Profession	Lawyer

Antonio Tajani (born 4 August 1953, in Rome) is an Italian politician. He is the current European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship and has also been one of the five Vice-President of the European Commission since May 2008.

Studies and early career[link]

After attending a classical high school in Rome, he earned a degree in Law at the Sapienza University of Rome.

Tajani was an official in the Italian Air Forces. After attending a specialized air defense course, he became radar controller.

Tajani has been a professional journalist, editor of parliamentary affairs for the weekly "Il settimanale", presenter of Rai Radio 1 news programme, and head of the Rome editorial office of the newspaper "Il Giornale", owned by the Berlusconi family. He was special envoy to Lebanon, the Soviet Union and Somalia.

He is married with two children.

Political career[link]

In his youth Tajani was a militant of Fronte Monarchico Giovanile (Youth Monarchist Front), a student organization of the Monarchist party of Italy. Even later, he has always advocated for the return from exile of the House of Savoy (banned according to the Italian Constitution) ^[1]

He was one of the founders of the Forza Italia party in 1994, then regional coordinator of the party in the Latium from 1994 in 2005.

In the first Berlusconi government (1994–95), Tajani was a spokesman of the Prime Minister.

In 1996 he ran for MP in the Alatri college, but obtained only 45.3% of the votes and was defeated by the representative of the Olive Tree.

In 2001Tajani was a candidate for mayor of Rome for the coalition of the House of Freedom, defeated, however, by Walter Veltroni with the 47.8 % of votes.

Since 2002 (Estoril Congress ) Tajani is one of 10 vice-presidents of the European People's Party. He was re-elected at the Rome Congress in 2006 and then again at the Bonn conference in 2009.^[2][3]

Member of the European Parliament[link]

In 1994 Tajani was elected MEP, later confirmed in 1999 and 2004.He was chairman of the delegation of Forza Italia to the European Parliament from June 1999 until May 2008.

At the 2004 European elections he was elected from a list of Forza Italia in the Central college, receiving 122.000 preferences. He was admitted to the European People's Party.

Tajani was a Member of the European Parliament for Central Italy with the Forza Italia party from 2004 to 2008 and sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs. He was a substitute for the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and a member of the Delegation for relations with Israel.^[4]

He was a member of the European Convention, which drafted the text of the European Constitution that never entered into force.

European Commissioner[link]

On 8 May 2008, he was appointed as Italy's EU Commissioner by newly elected Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, replacing Franco Frattini, new Italian foreign minister. Tajani received the Commissioner for Transport portfolio. He was officially approved in his post by the European Parliament on 18 June 2008 with a vote of 507 to 53 with 64 abstentions.^[5] As such, Tajani oversaw the drafting of the new EU Regulation relating to transport, which came into force in December 2009. The regulation has not yet been implemented in Italy.^[6]

In 2009 he was reappointed as a member of Italian nationality of the second Barroso Commission, as European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship; he remains one of the four Vice-Presidents of the Commission.^[7][8] The confirmation of Tajani has followed the decline of the candidacy of Massimo D'Alema as High Representative for Foreign Policy. For Tajani an alternative foreshadowed would have been a candidacy as president of the Lazio Region.^[9]

On the 15 April 2010 a headline in the British newspaper, The Sunday Times, proclaimed that European Commissioner Antonio Tajani had unveiled a plan declaring tourism a human right. In introducing his plan, Tajani stated, "Travelling for tourism today is a right. The way we spend our holidays is a formidable indicator of our quality of life." ^[10][11] EurActiv, an independent media portal, criticized the article by The Sunday Times as an example of misleading information about the EU which appears in the British press and is then picked up by other Anglo-Saxon media. EurActiv notes that "the article on The Sunday Times never quotes the Commissioner as having made such a statement".^[12]

Career[link]

• Graduate in law (University of Rome La Sapienza)
• 1982: Editor of Il Settimanale
• 1982: presenter of Rai Radio 1 news programme
• 1983: head of the Rome editorial office of the newspaper 'Il Giornale'
• 1994: Spokesman for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
• 2001: Member of Rome City Council
• Since 2002: Vice-chairman of the European People's Party

References[link]

External links[link]

Media related to Antonio Tajani at Wikimedia Commons

• Antonio Tajani, Official Media Gallery
• European Parliament biography of Antonio Tajani (incl. Speeches, Questions and Motions)
• Declaration (PDF) of financial interests (Italian)

v t e Barroso Commission I (2004–2009) Joaquín Almunia · Catherine Ashton6 · José Manuel Barroso1 · Jacques Barrot2 · Joe Borg · Karel De Gucht9 · Stavros Dimas · Benita Ferrero-Waldner · Ján Figeľ10 · Franco Frattini2, 5 · Mariann Fischer Boel · Dalia Grybauskaitė7 · Danuta Hübner8 · Siim Kallas2 · László Kovács · Neelie Kroes · Meglena Kuneva3 · Markos Kyprianou4 · Peter Mandelson6 · Charlie McCreevy · Louis Michel9 · Leonard Orban3 · Andris Piebalgs · Janez Potočnik · Viviane Reding · Olli Rehn · Paweł Samecki8 · Maroš Šefčovič10 · Algirdas Šemeta7 · Vladimír Špidla · Antonio Tajani2, 5 · Androulla Vassiliou4 · Günter Verheugen2 · Margot Wallström2 1 = President. 2 = Vice President. 3 = Served from 1 January 2007. 4 = Vassiliou replaced Kyprianou on 3 March 2008. 5 = Tajani replaced Frattini on 18 June 2008. 6 = Ashton replaced Mandelson on 3 October 2008. 7 = Šemeta replaced Grybauskaitė on 1 July 2009. 8 = Samecki replaced Hübner on 4 July 2009. 9 = De Gucht replaced Michel on 17 July 2009. 10 = Šefčovič replaced Figeľ on 1 October 2009.

v t e Barroso Commission II (since 2010) Joaquín Almunia2 · László Andor · Catherine Ashton2 · Michel Barnier · José Manuel Barroso1 · Dacian Cioloş · John Dalli · Maria Damanaki · Štefan Füle · Máire Geoghegan-Quinn · Kristalina Georgieva · Karel De Gucht · Johannes Hahn · Connie Hedegaard · Siim Kallas2 · Neelie Kroes2 · Janusz Lewandowski · Cecilia Malmström · Günther Oettinger · Andris Piebalgs · Janez Potočnik · Viviane Reding2 · Olli Rehn · Antonio Tajani2 · Androulla Vassiliou · Maroš Šefčovič2 · Algirdas Šemeta 1 = President. 2 = Vice President.

v t e European Commissioners for Transport Bodson • Coppé • Scarascia-Mugnozza • Burke • Contogeorgis • Clinton-Davis • Van Miert • Matutes • Oreja • Kinnock • de Placio • Barrot • Tajani • Kallas