Given the importance of SMEs as the backbone of the EU economy, their access to finance is of particular relevance. Unlike other companies in the EU, SMEs are more concerned with access to finance, largely due to their reliance on banks. In 2013 and 2014, many SMEs continued to experience financing difficulties, especially those from the most vulnerable EU Member States, which faced higher interest rates and stricter lending conditions. In this article the authors analyse and summarise the current state of SME financing in Europe.

The article can be found in chapter 5, pages 97ff of the new EIB publication ‘Investment and Investment Finance in Europe 2015: Investing in Competitiveness’ , which assesses the continuing impact of the crisis on investment and on the financing of these investments. It also examines what competitiveness means in an increasingly open and integrated global marketplace and the key principles that competitiveness enhancing economic policy needs to follow.