Having been a provisional member of UEAPME for the past few years, the GRTU became a member following a summit in Luxembourg.

In his address to the summit, Luxembourg’s prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker explained the importance of EU enlargement for SMEs. He said this historic moment will be important in the context of peace, stability, democracy and protecting human rights. Luxembourg, he said, until Malta joined the EU, was the smallest country in the union. “But it still took an active part in the policy drafting of the EU and the enlargement process.”

GRTU president Vince Farrugia spoke about what can be done for SMEs to improve their performance to comply with the Lisbon strategy.

During the summit, the UEAPME drafted a strategy to explain what should be done by the European Commission to exploit the potential of SMEs.

The GRTU will also be organising a meeting for local MEP candidates to better explain the situation regarding SMEs.