Catalan SME organisation, PIMEC

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 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).

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.

In order to ensure an effective enforcement of the "Housing First" Principle, enshrined in the European Affordable Housing Plan as well as the "Think Small First" concept from the SME Relief Package, the Services Directive 2006/123 should immediately be amended as follows; * Licenses for housing construction and renovation should not take more than 3 months, including all permits and formalities.

The EC should come up with a Code of Administrative Best Practices on housing, given that competences on the matter mainly lie with regional and local authorities. For example, local authorities should grant a 3-month deadline and a positive administrative silence to small housing projects of less than 5 million in investment, such as renovating a building or changing the use of a given property.

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.

This position paper is based on input received from Pimec members of agroindustry sector. Pimec is the most representative organisation of small and medium-sized enterprises in Catalonia and a full member of SMEunited. It brings together more than 300 guilds and sectoral associations, as well as individual companies.