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PETITA I MITJANA EMPRESA DE CATALUNYA

PIMEC

PIMEC tiene como objetivo defender los intereses de las pequeñas y medianas empresas (pymes) y de los empresarios autónomos en el diseño y aplicación de las políticas y regulaciones a nivel local, regional, nacional y europeo para garantizar su competitividad.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Circular Economy Act

5 Nov 2025

The European Union stands at a pivotal moment in its green and industrial transition. As Letta and Draghi reports state, Circular Economy is not only about protecting the environment, but also about strengthening Europes strategic autonomy and the security of critical materials, ensuring stable and resilient supply chains across the Union. In this regard, the transition towards a European circular single market is fundamental to enhancing EUs competitiveness, ensuring security and resilience of supply chains while at the same time boosting high-skilled and quality jobs As the Catalan most representative SME organisation and also member of SME United, Pimec calls for a Circular Economy Act based on the principle of Think Small First, ensuring that the regulatory framework supports and empowers smaller enterprises to take part in the circular transition.
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Meeting with Teresa Ribera Rodríguez (Executive Vice-President) and

15 Oct 2025 · Role of SMEs and challenges faced by SMEs in European economy.

Response to Roadmap towards Nature Credits

24 Jul 2025

We welcome the EC's initiative to develop a Nature Credits system within the EU. Subject to further elaboration, we believe that Nature Credits should be linked to the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and its related market, so that credit owners can monetise their contributions to biodiversity and nature preservation.
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Meeting with Valentina Schaumburger (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné)

10 Jul 2025 · Exchange of views on the Late Payments Directive and the public procurement revision

Meeting with Pierre Jouvet (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Veolia Environnement

14 Mar 2025 · marchés publics

Meeting with Marie-Hélène Pradines (Head of Unit Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs)

11 Mar 2025 · Late Payment Regulation proposal

Meeting with Daniel Calleja Crespo (Director-General Legal Service)

9 Mar 2025 · Exchange on the Proposal of Late Payments

Response to Single Market Strategy 2025

27 Jan 2025

Regarding the single market for services, at national level, we see few market players operating in the banking, insurance, transport, and telecommunications services and benefiting from their dominant position. Governments tend to promote national champions instead of cross-border players, whose presence in national markets would increase competition. This in turn has negative effects on SMEs using these services as the lack of competition reduces their market choices and increases prices. Regarding transport infrastructure, PIMEC advocates for the development of a pan-European high-speed rail (HSR) network, based on long-distance passenger and freight transportation and supports the FERRMED objectives to work towards a properly integrated freight transport system via the development of a fast, integrated rail-road system. Regarding fragmentation of legislation, the costs of diverging legislation and the differences in requirements foreseen by national legislation have a cost for businesses. It is important that the EU tries to achieve the highest degree of harmonisation and when directives are proposed that the European Commission assists Member States in the transposition process. We see high degrees of fragmentation in tax and insolvency regimes as well as in the field of late payments. Likewise, gold-plating negatively contributes to the fragmentation of the Single Market and regulatory burden. In PIMECs opinion, the Commission should implement robust measures against gold-plating. It is important to further promote the Single Digital Gateway (SDG) as one-stop-shop for businesses. The SDG should go beyond its current information purposes and become a practical, reference online platform for businesses wishing to operate cross-borders. In connection to this, the principles digital by default and once-only for the submission of information need to become a reality. According to the PIMEC study Bureaucracy and competitiveness: diagnosis and proposals published in November 2024, 70% of SMEs have had to submit redundant documents, which were previously provided to the same administration. Regarding Public procurement, contracts awarded to SMEs in Spain amounted to 29.63% in the second half of 2023 and 15.53% in the first half of 2024, according to the Ministry of Finance. These figures are significantly lower than the goal of proportionally reflecting SMEs' contributions to Spain's Gross Value Added (GVA), estimated at 62% (compared to 56.8% in the EU). This gap underscores the need to review public procurement legislation to ensure greater inclusion and support for SMEs taking into account their role in both urban and rural areas and therefore promoting proximity-related criteria. Regarding skills mobility, significant challenges remain on the implementation of the Directive on the recognition of professional qualifications (2005/36/EC). The differences in the regulatory frameworks for professional qualifications pose an obstacle to mutual recognition. Besides, it is necessary to speed up the process of recognition of qualifications. In Spain, the legislation establishes a maximum duration of 6 months but it can take up to 3 years. months and in Spain it can be 2 or 3 years. Lastly, PIMEC is of the opinion that programs promoting the economic aspect of cross-border cooperation should be further strengthened in the next Multiannual Financial Program. Such programs should encourage cross-border economic operations between local enterprises from both sides of the border as well as facilitate the participation of local SMEs in cross-border public procurement.
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Meeting with Piotr Müller (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Conseil des Communes et Régions d'Europe

21 Jan 2025 · Evaluation of the Public Procurement Directives

Response to Amendment of the free allocation rules in response to the ETS revision/Fit For 55

15 Dec 2023

We suggest taking the opportunity of this update in the ETS scheme to add the forestry sector to the free allocation of CO2 emissions rights. The contribution of forests to reducing CO2 is essential in Europe and this role must be recognised with the free allocation of emission rights. This would also contribute to a more efficient management of forests and to the avoidance of wildfires across the continent. Please refer to the attached report for more information.
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Meeting with Jordi Solé (Member of the European Parliament)

8 Nov 2023 · Late Payment Directive

Response to Revision of EU rules on late payments (Late Payments Directive)

7 Nov 2023

Please, find attached the PIMEC´s opinion on the Proposal for a Regulation on combating late payments in commercial transactions COM(2023) 533 final.
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Response to Communication on maximising the potential of talent mobility as part of the European Year of Skills

21 Sept 2023

Currently the recognition of qualifications from third countries can take years to be completed at national level. It is of utmost relevance to establish an efficient scheme at EU level.
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Meeting with Maurits-Jan Prinz (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton)

12 Sept 2023 · SME Relief package

Response to Revision of EU rules on late payments (Late Payments Directive)

7 Mar 2023

Payment terms The survey carried out from December 2022 to February 2023 by the PMcM on the 2022 payment behaviour highlights the following data: - The average payment term of the private sector in 2022 is 67 days. - Companies that take the longest to pay are the large ones (55%). Only 26% of them pay within the legal term. - The average payment term in the public sector is estimated at 67 days. - The late payment ratio of those surveyed (% of non-payments with respect to total billing), is estimated at 5% in 2022. - 94% of the suppliers did not demand legal compensation for recovery costs in case of delay or non-payment; 84% never or almost never demanded default interest from their customer behind with payment; and 61% are imposed payment terms longer than those allowed by law. - When the list of large late-paying companies is published, 68% will continue to accept being a supplier to those companies included in that list (that pay outside the legal term). - 92% of those who had applied for a public subsidy for an amount greater than 30,000 after October 2022 have not had to provide any specific certification about their average payment terms. - 81% of the respondents do not know the Business Creation and Growth Law approved in September 2022 - The subcontractors charge from the main contractors at 100 days on average. - 93% consider the implementation of a sanctioning regime necessary. This data is particularly significant. SMEs do not fear the penalty regime since the main beneficiaries are the largest companies. Given the very important volume of public purchase and considering the usual award structure based on the contractor/subcontractor scheme, it is convenient to analyse the payment terms within the contracting chain. In this sense, it is worth highlighting the 2021 report elaborated by the Observatory of Public Procurement in Spain, OIRESCON. The report reveals the absence of information on the execution of the contract, or the payments derived from it, which makes it impossible to carry out supervision of compliance with obligations in a systematic and automatic manner, as established by law. With respect to legislative ambiguity, the most illustrative example is presented in the Retail Trade Regulation Law which allows a special payment regime that seems designed especially for large stores, allowing payment terms to be extended by agreement between the parties. The detrimental interpretation of the law for suppliers of large stores is supported by a report to that effect issued by the General Directorate of Domestic Trade, under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, at the request of the National Association of Large Distribution Companies (ANGED), Spanish Association of Distributors, Supermarkets and Supermarkets (ASEDAS) and the Association of Spanish Supermarket Chains (ACES). This distortion of the legislation causes a backwards chain effect with respect to the payment terms of the suppliers of the suppliers. A similar situation occurs with suppliers of subcontractors in public works. This fact demonstrates the impossibility of admitting different payment terms in accordance with the affected sector. PIMEC appreciates the initiative of the European Commission to draft a new Directive on payment terms in commercial relations: Our opinion in this regard, given the case at hand, is that the new rule should prohibit payment terms of more than 60 days, WITHOUT individual or sectoral exceptions, as well as oblige Member States to establish sanction regimes and mediation. More information is available in the attached document.
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Response to European Critical Raw Materials Act

14 Nov 2022

In view of the upcoming Critical Raw Materials Act, PIMEC´s recommendations are: The EU should continue with its Open Strategic Autonomy taking into account the crucial role of MSMEs as active actors in European supply and value chains. Signing FTA with reliable commercial partners is of paramount importance as well as finalise trade agreements that are in the pipeline (i.e. Mercosur). The EU should continue its work in supporting the EU enterprises to reduce dependencies and strengthen their resilience. A good way to achieve this is by providing support to SMEs to diversify their supply chains. With the ongoing legislative procedures on Due Diligence, Deforestation and Forced Labour, SMEs will need specific tools to be able to continue purchasing critical raw materials for their activity while ensuring their commercial transaction comply with the Sustainable Development principles. The circular economy principles play an important role in using less resources and materials. The upcoming Act should endorse the objectives the Circular Economy Action Plan and foster its actions such as increase recycled content in products. For instance, a higher uptake of recycled materials in sectors like the textile that are resource intensive could be reached via fiscal and financial incentives. The EU could lead joint purchases of critical raw materials. This practice took place successfully during the covid crisis when the EC negotiated on behalf of the Member States the purchase of vaccines and other protective equipment such as face masks. Joint purchases of critical metals prove necessary as EU industry will need to deliver on new climate regulatory requirements (i.e. new emission targets for 2035 on vehicles and vans in coordination with the EU Battery Strategy) and have the necessary resources to produce electric vehicles. Support EU enterprises in strategic sectors. The National Recovery and Resilience Plans need to focus both on delivering the green and digital transitions and at the same time develop EU strategic sectors like it is the case with semi-conductors. Ensure a level-playing field for EU enterprises. PIMEC believes the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) does not offer a sufficient protection against carbon leakage and delocalization as those sectors not included in the scope will face unfair competition mainly from Chinese products.
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Response to Strengthening social dialogue

11 Oct 2022

Established in 1975, PIMEC is the largest SME organisation in Spain by membership base (141,000 enterprises) and annual budget (16 million €). It exclusively represents SMEs from Catalonia and is a full member of SME United. ConPymes, established in Madrid by PIMEC and other leading national and regional organisations, represents 2.5 million enterprises and aims to independently represent the views of Spanish small enterprises. The legitimacy of employers’ organisations to engage in the social dialogue in SPAIN is still regulated in the 1980 Labour Statute (Estatuto de los Trabajadores). This Law sets out a threshold of 10% at national level and 15% at regional level, of either enterprises or workers, for employers’ organisations to become a party in the social dialogue. Yet, these thresholds HAVE NEVER BEEN MEASURED IN PRACTICE, due to the absence of the required implementing provisions following the 1980 labour law. The legitimacy of the employers’ organisations that are now part of the national social dialogue is taken for granted and therefore their actual representativeness has never been proven. The lack of a legal instrument developing the Labour Statute prevents OTHER ORGANISATIONS from being represented in the national social dialogue. Therefore, we strongly encourage that the future Recommendation on Social Dialogue puts forward the need for MEMBER STATES TO DEVELOP A CLEAR REGULATORY FRAMEWORK, establishing PROPORTIONATE THRESHOLDS to participate in the social dialogue, as well as their enforcement through a regular and objective measurement open to all organisations.
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Response to Commission Delegated Regulation on taxonomy-alignment of undertakings reporting non-financial information

29 Jul 2020

This legislative initiative should always be accompanied by the following actions from the EU, especially with regard to SMEs: * Simple reporting template. * Financial support for SMEs to implement the measure. * Appointment of SME organisations as advisory and rating agents.
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Response to Prolongation of the Regulation on de minimis State aid to undertakings providing services of general economic interest

20 May 2020

The recent amendment in the Temporary Framework for State Aid Measures SMEs is yet another fulfilled request of European social partners. While it has taken into account special benefits given to companies in the Covid-19 Crisis, such as tax deferrals or loans, it has left unchanged the general de minimis rule. Remote regions and islands traditionally benefit from transportation subsidies that can easily represent the bulk of the de minimis amount. In the aftermath of the Covid-19, such regions will be left with little or no tourists and will need to take advantage of restored trade in goods to recover. Moreover, shipping costs have risen across the board as the Lockdown has restricted the availability of connections. For this reason, we propose an increase in the de minimis threshold to twice its current amount (400,000 € per year) in the following cases: a) If the beneficiary is based in an island region of a Member State or b) It is located in a region whose population density is half (or less) that of the Member State’s national average. We define here regions as NUTS 3, which is equivalent to a province in Spain. This rule would apply to three provinces in Spain for case a) and 20 regions for case b), out of 52 Spanish provinces.
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