Meet & Greet Webinar Delves into European Support for SMEs on Path to Sustainability

The third edition of the "Meet & Greet the European Institutions" event took place as a webinar on Wednesday 27 March 2024.

Organised by the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, together with the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) and the Representation of the European Commission in Luxembourg, and in collaboration with the House of Sustainability, this interactive bilingual (French and English) webinar focused on initiatives and programmes available to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the area of sustainable development.

Sabrina Sagramola, Manager and Coordinator of EEN Luxembourg at the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, introduced and moderated the event. In her welcome address, Anne Calteux, Head of European Commission Representation in Luxembourg, noted that sustainability was a priority for the Commission. She highlighted in particular the Strategic Foresight Report and noted that this and other documents and initiatives showed that the European Union was committing itself to "unprecedented action" aimed at pursuing climate neutrality and sustainability.

Anne Calteux also addressed a "very complex" context characterised by climate change and environmental challenges, on the one hand, and the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russian aggression against Ukraine, on the other. She highlighted the current "environment of transition and of transformation", of society but also the economy, towards a new model which respects "the limits of our planet" while "maintaining competitiveness at the global level, solid social foundations, and resilience". She stressed the need to meet such conditions in the long term, taking into account the different dimensions of sustainability (environmental, social and economic), to enable Europe to "play its leading role at the global level in this new net zero economy and to guarantee our path towards a sustainable future." Anne Calteux later added that businesses, particularly SMEs, were "at the heart" of all these efforts and the transformation itself. As such, it was important to look at ways of supporting them in their transition(s) and making them aware of existing measures.

Three presentations followed. The first (in English) focused on European Commission initiatives to support the green and digital transitions of SMEs. Linda Perina, Policy Assistant, Climate, Energy and Sustainable Development at the Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG Grow), presented various tools, initiatives and projects in this area, with a focus on networks and collaboration. She first mentioned the EU Industrial Strategy and its aim to support the twin transition to a green and digital economy that is also resilient and competitive. She highlighted several networks, starting with EEN and its efforts to support SMEs in areas such as innovation, sustainability, resilience and digitalisation. Other networks included the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP) and Euroclusters (aimed at implementing the EU Industrial Strategy to create new networks and collaborations across European clusters and SMEs).

Linda Perina also presented Digital Innovation Hubs, which offer free support to SMEs in their digital transformation, adapted to local needs, and Transition Pathways, which give practical solutions to help implement "green, digital and resilient transitions" in collaboration with other stakeholders. Another potentially useful tool is the publicly available European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI). The Horizon Europe programme also offers funding for research and innovation and has links with Luxembourg through Luxinnovation. Linda Perina's presentation focused on concrete European projects and practical opportunities rather than going into too much detail about certain European political measures.

The second presentation (also in English) was dedicated to EENergy, a project aimed at financially supporting SMEs in their energy transition. Steffen Helledie, International Business Consultant at Nord Danmarks EU-Kontor, explained that the EENergy Open Call was motivated by the desire to explore ways of lowering energy consumption in industries, particularly faced with rising energy prices in Europe. The goal is to lower this energy consumption by at least 5%. To encourage this, EENergy offers grants of up to €10,000 for three activities (all aimed at lowering a company's overall energy consumption): investments (e.g. in solar panels, more efficient lighting solutions), consultancy services (e.g. energy audits) and skills and training (e.g. improving employees' digital skills). The project has a budget of about €9 million and can fund at least 900 SMEs. Other companies can receive various "value added services", including advice, guidance towards other available funding and a benchmarking report.

The third presentation (in French) focused more on the national level, with Sabrina Kohn, Sustainability Advisor, and Elisa Mendes, Technology and Environment Advisor, highlighting the House of Sustainability's services in Luxembourg. These services are aimed at supporting and facilitating the transition(s) of companies of all sizes. The speakers mentioned the informative Sustainability Cycles which are held throughout the year, as well as ESR (responsible enterprise) labelling and various support tools such as an online self-evaluation (initiation step), analysis (via an RSE Toolbox and Starter Kit) and help with valorisation for artisanal SMEs. They also presented two financial aid schemes aimed at supporting companies on their journey to sustainability: Fit 4 Sustainability (via Luxinnovation) and the temporary environmental impact aid scheme. Such financial aid can help support climate protection measures in the areas of electrictiy (e.g. solar panels), thermal insulation of buildings (e.g. replacing doors), carbon footprint, waste, water, etc. Further information about these aid schemes and other tools is available online at https://www.houseofsustainability.lu/aides-financieres.

Sabrina Kohn and Elisa Mendes also touched upon the national pact on companies and human rights, which currently counts 72 voluntary signatories. A new signing session is planned for late May / early June 2024. "Every company can contribute to sustainable development. We are there to accompany you," they concluded.

The presentations were followed by question and answer sessions. In her concluding remarks, Anne Calteux thanked the speakers for covering the different dimensions of sustainability. She reiterated that there were challenges but also opportunities for all actors, both at the European and national levels.

There were more than 70 online participants towards the end of the webinar.