Equipping SMEs for Europe’s digital future

AI is a game changer for SMEs. It boosts productivity, reduces costs, and helps close the gap with larger competitors. It can support smarter decisions, overcome traditional barriers, and open new business opportunities. At the same time, it often requires adapting business models, investing in learning, and building new capabilities to use it meaningfully.

Platforms are powerful enablers for SMEs, whether selling products or offering services. They include not only e-commerce marketplaces, but also digital service platforms such as mobility, delivery, booking, or freelance platforms. For many SMEs that had never expanded beyond their local region, platforms offer low-cost access to new customer bases. The COVID-19 experience reinforced their value as flexible, scalable lifelines, and today, they remain essential for visibility and growth.

Digital advertising is no longer just a useful tool, it has become a substantial part of modern business strategy. With modest budgets, SMEs can achieve targeted reach locally, regionally, and globally. What was once reserved for large firms is now open to all, even the biggest companies rely on digital ads as a core element of their outreach. For SMEs, digital visibility is a must-have, not a maybe.

The more SMEs rely on digital tools, the more they need to think about protecting themselves and their customers. From online stores to cloud systems, every digital activity creates exposure. Cybersecurity isn’t just a technical issue, it’s a business-critical practice that ensures continuity, safeguards trust, and protects long-term growth.

We focus on what digital legislation means in practice – from AI and data use to platforms and digital services. Our programme allows members and SMEs to exchange knowledge, understand impact, and provide feedback, concerns, and ideas. It’s a space to engage with change, not just react to it.

We highlight the trends shaping how SMEs do business: automation, customer shifts, platform dependence, and new technologies. Through our network of special advisors and Friends of SMEs, we help SMEs keep an eye on what’s ahead and make smarter decisions in a changing environment.

At the heart of the platform is a peer-to-peer spirit. Members share tools, cases, ideas, and challenges. This is not one-way communication, it’s a community-led process, where SMEs help each other move forward with practical insight and confidence.

• Workshops, Events & Working Groups at both the European and national level to explore key topics, exchange best practices, and connect decision-makers with SMEs.
• Policy and Practice Dialogues that bring together stakeholders from business, politics, and expert communities to foster understanding and collaboration.
• Support and Information Exchange, through a help desk function and regular updates—providing orientation and keeping members connected to relevant developments.

“The great thing with AI is how it can create hyper-personalised content at speed and scale. This is a game-changer for customer relations.”

“I can target digital ads at people who are actually interested in my topics,
instead of annoying everyone else.”