SMEs need a helping hand

Small and medium enterprises are the backbone of European economies — especially the peripheries.

They account for over 95% of the total number of businesses and well over 70% of the total jobs. Their contribution to economic resilience, particularly in rural areas, also means they have an enormous role to play in sustaining an austerity-blighted economy.

They have long been identified as being at the heart of innovation in Ireland’s knowledge economy.