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DRAFT RESOLUTION Nº.262 /X

IT RECOMMENDS THE GOVERNMENT TO SET UP A SYSTEM OF

DYNAMISATION OF PARTNERSHIPS AND SUPPORT FOR MANAGEMENT

FROM SMEs IN THE SCOPE OF QREN

Exhibition of Motives

1. Of SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) in the national corporate structure.

SMEs play a role of the utmost importance in the business structure

Portuguese. How do you show the data set out in the latest edition of the study " The

SMEs in the national business structure ", their relevance continues to increase, being

these companies to acquire a growing weight in the national economy. Effectively, between

2000 and 2005, SMEs managed to generate, per year, and on average, approximately 77.2

thousand jobs and a further 3.4 thousand million euros of business, in real terms, what

represents a result six times higher than that of large companies in respect of

employment and 1.7 times higher in invoicing.

And note was it between the micro and small companies that have registered the greatest dynamics

of growth. Incidentally, the number of medium-sized companies has declined slightly

in this period, having the same happened with its invoicing, considering values

real. The greatest dynamism of micro and small enterprises occurred in any of the regions

of the country, with medium-sized enterprises showing more moderate growths than

those-or even negative ones-, both at the level of business units and

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employment. The Alentejo and the Algarve are the regions where the business structure presents

lower average dimension.

Of highlighting that in 2005 they operated in Portugal close to 297 thousand SMEs, which they generated

about 2.1 million jobs and more than 170.3 thousand million euros from

invoicing. This means that SMEs represented then 99.6% of the country's societies,

being generators of ¾ (75.2%) of the jobs and realizing more than half of the business

(56.4%) business. The same study further shows that SMEs are prevalent in

all the national territory, is of vital importance for the dynamisation of the

economy in all regions. However, by its very nature, it is also

recognized its particular vulnerability to the oscillations of the economy and market.

2. From the profile of the entrepreneurs.

Show the results of the Observatory of Business Creation that entrepreneurs

Portuguese are mostly young people. On average they are 37 years old, with the age being more

frequent is 30 years. More than half, 52%, are less than 35 years old and about 80% have

45 years or less. Another interesting data has to do with the literary habilitations of the

entrepreneurs, as among the youngest (26-35 years) about half have, in the

minimum, university attendance, bucking the trend of the higher age climbs,

particularly with more than 45 years, where more than half of the entrepreneurs have concluded,

at most, the secondary school, with the majority of these having only schooling

mandatory.

Of note, on the other hand, that the start-ups Portuguese do not flee the rule of the structure in

that intakes, by presenting a reduced dimension, which is rank at various levels,

as at the level of social capital-the minimum social capital is the most vulgar option-or of the

number of partners-85% of newly created societies have a partner (37%) or two partners

(49%). A note still to the fact that the launch of a company with family members is

a relatively frequent option, taking into account that in 1/3 of the start-ups it happens

(in the vast majority of these cases the society consists exclusively of members of

a family). Another show of the reduced initial size of the companies has yet to do with

the size of the market in which they intend to operate, as the vast majority elect the

local market as a main source of business generation. However, it is also certain that

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the processes of internationalization are part, from the very beginning, of the strategies of a

significant number of start-ups , since in more than ¼ of these were made plans of

penetration into external markets in the course of the first three years of activity.

Finally, it is interesting to note that Portuguese entrepreneurs seem to be at

betting definitely on new technologies, taking advantage of the benefits that these

bring, being increasingly resorting to the websites as a montra of their companies and

of your products and services from the first moment. In this sense, about 70% of the

start-ups go to have a site on the Internet, in its vast majority with information about the

company and information about your products or services, possibly even with

catalogues being also already in large numbers those that will also have functionalities

of sale (receipt of orders or electronic sale) in their sites .

Considering the design of the fabric of national SMEs, it fulfils us to make a resench of the

your idiosyncrasy, which is both a vulnerability and an opportunity. Thus,

we have a business structure with the following characteristics: it is constituted in 99.6%

by SMEs, most of which are micro or small businesses; their entrepreneurs

are majority-male, relatively young, still with an average level of

relatively low habilitation, but clearly improving in the inverse proportion to the age;

already the start-ups Portuguese enter the market with mild expectations, both in

invoicing terms as also in terms of size of its market, as it

the proximity market has a very large weight in its activity; however, it is

also increasingly significant the number of start-ups that put the internationalization

on its short-term agenda; on the other hand, it is already clear the gamble of the entrepreneurs in the

use of the new technologies, as the vast majority of start-ups intend to have a

site on the Internet, not only as a montra of its products and services, but also for the

own marketing of them.

3. From the QREN (National Strategic Reference Framework).

The QREN introduces a new vision in the application of structural funds, reinforces the sense of

competitiveness, bets on the competitiveness of companies and the capacity of society

Portuguese generate partnerships.

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That is the scenario where the QREN Operational Programs will operate in order to the

bringing about a bet on the promotion of SME networks with a view to strengthening the

endogenous potential and the empowerment of the regions. The QREN has as a priority to strengthen the

internationalization and the innovation of companies. This priority translates a bet on the

business competitiveness oriented towards a standard of international specialization of the

our companies, structuring axis of the QREN. One of the lines of the incentive systems to

achievement of this priority will be precisely the qualification of SMEs, aimed at

promote the dynamic factors of competitiveness in these companies.

One needs to take into consideration the fact that the QREN incentive systems are

guided by criteria such as selectivity and to present as an instrument of

rigor, demand and mobilization. These criteria require SMEs to have the notion very much

clear that one has to organise to gain size and assert themselves as companies

winners in a market that makes the qualification of companies a factor of

competitiveness and to position themselves in international markets

The policy of this Government points out a new vision for Portugal departing from what today

are the new challenges of the global market, respectively: the markets are located in the

framework of a new phase of globalization marked by the protagonism of new actors

with great impact, such as China and India; we live the impact of the enlargement of the

European market to the new member states of the east; we live an intense acceleration of the

technological revolution, and the participation of Portugal in the Economic and Monetary Union and the

single currency.

Thus, qualification and specialisation is a challenge that puts us before the decisive

crossroads of responding to the structural deficits of our economy and society.

4. From the QREN as the opportunity for qualification and competitive affirmation of the

SMEs.

A more competitive country needs a fabric of dynamic SMEs that manages to be a

" player global ". Portugal needs more ambitious SMEs that seek to expand their

activities beyond national borders. Thus, one needs to create conditions for the

QREN is de facto an opportunity to promote the quality of SMEs and increase the

its competitiveness, which implies greater specialization, new technologies and new

competencies, inserted in growth and innovation strategies.

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The current profile of our entrepreneurs is a facilitator factor of breakage with logic

traditional of the fabric of SMEs in Portugal and indictor of a potential installed, with

conditions to be challenged for a new business culture. In this compliance, the

financial investment is essential for the viability of this change and the framework of

growth that is advocated.

But it needs to be taken into account that by the very nature of SMEs of reduced size and

structure mainly, small and micro enterprises will be able to have difficulty in

to perspective their needs and to organise themselves in such a way as to be effective in accessing and

processing of information about the contest to community funds.

Considering the characteristics of SMEs in the Portuguese business structure, the

priorities of the QREN and the fact that it constitutes itself as the platform par excellence

of modernization and qualification of the country and the current challenges of globalization of the

markets, the Assembly of the Republic resolves, under the provisions of paragraph 5 of the

article 166 of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, recommend to the Government to

following measure:

1. Creation of a system of streamlining partnerships and supporting the

management of SMEs within the framework of the QREN.

1.1. This system of support for the dynamisation of the business fabric for purposes

of access to community funds made available through the QREN must

match the needs of: simplification; accessibility; proximity;

single contact, and of technical assistance, felt by SMEs mainly, by the

small and micro enterprises.

1.2. The aim is create an interactive, dynamic interface, which is not just a

point of reporting to entrepreneurs of SMEs and potentials

entrepreneurs. It is fundamental that it takes a flexible and pro-active attitude, supported

in a dynamic intervention model, which allows for a continuous balance at the level of the

services provided, i.e. between the demand from the companies and the supply of the products

QREN and the realization of the objectives of public policies for development

economic.

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1.3. Search-if it is a system / service with two dimensions : 1) ensure

a service of: technical assistance in the pre- and post-application phases 2) that go to the meet

of the entrepreneur through a contact plan, executed preferentially by

concelho, so as to create a propicio environment to the emergence of a culture of

partnerships and competitive ideas and innovative and sustainable projects for SMEs

benefit from the funding and the opportunity for affirmation provided by the QREN.

1.4. A system of support of this nature must privilege the capacity

installed, in a logic of local articulation in which administration is involved

central, local authorities and business associations as well as other organizations

of civil society, at the level of the management of applications and incentives to companies

taking advantage of, the structure of the existing central and local public administration .

1.5. The heterogeneity of the solutions that come to be found should contribute

to bring the QREN closer to citizens, companies and organisations, in general. The

existence of a system of streamlining partnerships and support in the process of

applications, management, near, accessible and dynamic, preferably in each

country's county that effectively and efficiently give a response to SMEs

promoting the growth of the Portuguese economy.

The Deputies

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