EFCI meets SMEUnited, the voice of SMEs in Europe
On January 25 President Mattioli and Director General Matarazzo met the leadership of SMEUnited, the EU cross-industry social partner organization representing SMEs in Europe. The European cleaning industry is strongly characterized by a large number of SMEs – according to Eurostat, more than 90% of cleaning companies have less than 49 employees -, very often family-run businesses with a strong territorial anchoring. The development of strong relations with the main representation of this fundamental dimension of the European economy represents therefore a necessity for EFCI.
During the meeting, President Mattioli and SMEUnited’s President Salminen have exchanged on the main issues that animated the EU policy agenda during the last months of this European institutional cycle. Both Presidents have agreed on the importance to adopt a new, more business-friendly and business-aware approach to legislation, expressing their wish that during the next EU legislature a greater attention to the impact on the business conduct and more pragmatism will be adopted. EFCI could illustrate its focus on public procurement and explain its current work on this field, referring also to the relevance of this topic in its social dialogue agenda. Other themes for discussion included the ongoing discussions on the proposal for a regulation on late payments, a general reflection on the current state of EU social dialogue and the prospects for its relaunch, and an exchange of views on the upcoming elections and their potential impact on the future of the European Union.
In conclusion, President Mattioli invited President Salminen and Director General Willems to the presentation of the EFCI Manifesto for a competitive, sustainable and efficient cleaning and facility management industry. The Manifesto will be revealed next 6 March in the course of an event in Brussels. It contains the priorities that EFCI considers as fundamental to ensure that the industry can continue contributing to the EU economy also in the next EU legislature.