The “Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs” – a measure under the “Small Business Act” (a political framework adopted to support and increase competitiveness of European SME) – is financed by the European Union and will be promoted and developed in all 27 EU Member States.

 

 

The SME assume a major role in the European economy, even considered as its backbone, as constitute 99% of all enterprises in the EU. They are the main creators of employment and have greater potential to contribute to the growth of competitiveness of Member States’ economies. However, the strategic vision of action defined by the SME, focused only on the local market, is the biggest obstacle to the growth of the economy and the diffusion of entrepreneurship and economic competitiveness in Europe.

Therefore, it was necessary to define a policy of action, with global impact, to make it possible to change this blockage of European businesses and promote their competitiveness. Thus, the European Commission launches a Programme that aims to promote the exchange and mobility of entrepreneurs and European citizens promoting entrepreneurship and business spirit in the European Union as well as the internationalization of SME.: Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs.

The main objectives of the programme are:

to promote the mobility of citizens in Europe;

to promote entrepreneurship throughout Europe, shifting the idea that only students have the opportunity of training in another country (Erasmus to students);

promote networking and promote the exchange/sharing of experience and knowledge among European entrepreneurs.

This Programme is an innovative initiative that intends to be a tool that gives support to new and potential entrepreneurs to acquire knowledge essential to create or management a enterprises (SME) through an internship, with a maximum duration of 3 months, in an European company of another Member State with the duly monitoring of an experienced host entrepreneur (HE).