Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday launched ETIncelles, a program aimed at increasing the number of mid-sized companies (ETI) in France by removing the “administrative obstacles” hindering the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
“All the time spent on administration is time you are wasting,” Mr. Macron declared in front of a hundred business leaders invited to the Elysée.
“There are no small problems, there are only real small problems which are sometimes so many stones in your development. So the mission of ETIncelles is simple: to support you in removing these stones on the path to your development,” added Olivia Grégoire, minister responsible for SMEs.
The initiative is based on the observation of a delay in France, which only has 5,600 mid-sized companies compared to around 10,000 in Germany.
However, these companies, which employ between 250 and 4,999 employees or achieve a turnover of at least 50 million euros, are “an opportunity for the country and a real lever”, underlined Mr. Macron, because they generate of jobs, anchored in the territories and often exporting.
The ETIncelles plan aims to grow 500 SMEs with strong growth potential by 2027, by offering them personalized support and a single point of contact to remove administrative obstacles to their growth.
Some 45 correspondents in the administration and public authorities were mobilized for this purpose.
“It’s a small team that helps you deal with the complexity of the most structuring projects and saves you time,” explained the president.
This personalized support, planned over a period of 12 to 18 months, has already benefited 50 SMEs during a pilot phase which, among other problems, allowed companies to report a lack of visibility on public aid, difficulties in recruitment or complicated access to public procurement. Fifty others were selected.
According to the Elysée, the “reservoir” of SMEs with high potential is estimated at around 20,000.
In total, Mr. Macron aims to create 1,000 new mid-sized companies during his second five-year term, which ends in 2027.
ETIncelles is in line with the “ETI Nation Strategy”, presented in 2020 in favor of the development of these companies.
On November 15, the government also launched “Simplification Meetings”, consultations intended to simplify standards for businesses.