We complete the discussion of the Small Business Act by reporting the results presented in the SBA 2010/2011 information sheet drawn up by the European Commission.
The information sheet (available at this address) presents a series of "basic data" relating to Italian SMEs, and then the national SBA profile is traced by comparing it with the European average, i.e. the analysis of the individual principles contained in the SBA.
Examining the "basic data" the leading role played by SMEs in the Italian economy with respect to the European average is evident. In fact, if the percentage of SMEs out of the total number of enterprises in Italy is almost identical to the European average, there are significant differences in the data relating to employment and the production of added value. Against a European average of 66,9%, in Italy 81,4% of employees are employed in SMEs with an added value that represents 71,3% of the total product, against a European average of 58,4% .
A worrying figure emerges from the analysis of the trends relating to the number of enterprises active in the economy. Taking the year 2003 as a reference, in fact, at European level we are witnessing constant growth (albeit with a slowdown at the start of the recession) which in less than ten years has led to an increase of over 10 percentage points in the number of total businesses. The Italian data, on the other hand, show a substantial stagnation in the number of businesses with a very marked downsizing in the period immediately following the outbreak of the crisis.
Another negative note comes from the evaluation of the Italian SBA profile. The Commission judges the data relating to Italian SMEs to be lower than the European average in 5 of the 9 cardinal principles (the principle relating to the environment is not evaluated for any country due to lack of data). Furthermore, the comparison between the "status quo" of 2005 and the levels of implementation of the SBA in 2011 shows that in 5 of the 9 fields the policies adopted have not only produced poor results, but have even recorded a deterioration compared to previous years. The sectors that present the worst results are those of access to finance and the so-called "second chance" (cf "EU/ The Small Business Act: “A fast track for small business"). The only one of the 9 principles in which Italy recorded results above the European average with a trend in further progress was that relating to "Public procurement and state aid".
Some of the most critical points that place Italy far from the European average are:
- the cost of debt collection, as a percentage of the debtor's assets, which in Italy is equal to 22% against just under 11% in Europe;
- the costs of starting a business, as a percentage of per capita income, equal to 18,5% in Italy and 5,47% for the European average;
- the average payment terms of public authorities, 100 days for Italy against 25 in Europe;
- companies that offer training opportunities in Italy are 32% of the total against a European average close to 60%.
The Commission has expressed a positive opinion on the adoption by the Italian government of a national strategy for the implementation of the SBA in May 2010. In the government's forecasts, this strategy would have produced a 2013% increase in GDP by 1 and the creation of 50.000 new jobs. At present, however, government estimates may need to be reconsidered in light of the changed economic environment.
