91997E3649

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3649/97 by Honório Novo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (19 November 1997)

Subject: Support for small and very small businesses in the civil construction sector in Portugal

The civil construction sector is of major social and economic importance in Portugal. In addition to a small number of big companies, there are numerous very small, small or medium-sized firms which exist in an increasingly dependent situation vis-à-vis the former and are therefore in ever direr economic and financial straits, with all that may entail for higher unemployment.

As is well-known, there is a growing desire throughout the Union to promote substantial and sustained support for very small firms and SMUs; also relevant here is the specific programme for the restructuring and development of Portuguese industry (PEDIP).

In this connection, can the Commission state:

1. in the context of the PEDIP, what concrete measures or programmes exist to support SMUs in the civil construction sector in Portugal;

2. in the more general context of the Community programmes in support of very small firms and SMUs, whether there are any measures specifically targeted on enterprises of this type in the civil construction sector?

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (22 December 1997)

Although there are no measures in the PEDIP programme specifically aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in the sector of civil construction in Portugal, many of the projects supported by the programme provide very significant amounts of work for such enterprises, as indeed is the case with other programmes in the Community support framework for Portugal.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the sector of civil construction are directly supported by the Community initiative for SMEs. This category of SMEs is specifically eligible under the following measures of the programme:

Measure 1: Support for micro and small enterprises.

Measure 2: Strengthening of competitivity of enterprises in the area of tourism and civil construction and public works.

Measure 3: Development of technological competence in SMEs.

Measure 4: Training.

Measure 5: Financial engineering.