International Cross-border Trade: Challenges and Solutions facing SMEs

Internationalisation and international entrepreneurship among SMEs remains a topic of considerable relevance and many challenges. Despite the existing policy initiatives and support schemes, only a relatively small number of European SMEs currently engage in cross-border activities and an even smaller number report they are considering it. Internationalisation is certainly not for every SME but given the significant role they play in our economies, if just a few more were to successfully transition to become international companies, either via trade or investment, the benefits would be significant. Consequently, supporting the internationalisation of SMEs should remain a priority of the European SME competitiveness strategies. With this debate we would like to contribute to the general discourse by bringing together the knowledge and experience of our network members, highlight unique and shared challenges across the industries and explore solutions.