Text · Opinion parliamentary committee draft
On the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulations (EU) 2016/679, (EU) 2016/1036, (EU) 2016/1037, (EU) 2017/1129, (EU) 2023/1542 and (EU) 2024/573 as regards the extension of certain mitigating measures available for small and medium sized enterprises to small mid-cap enterprises and further simplification measures
Full title
On the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulations (EU) 2016/679, (EU) 2016/1036, (EU) 2016/1037, (EU) 2017/1129, (EU) 2023/1542 and (EU) 2024/573 as regards the extension of certain mitigating measures available for small and medium sized enterprises to small mid-cap enterprises and further simplification measures
Document INTA-PA-778169 · COM(2025)0501 – C100092/2025 – 2025/0130(COD)
- Kind
- Opinion parliamentary committee draft INTA-PA-778169
- Date
- 15 October 2025
- Committee
- Committee on International Trade
- Rapporteur
- Bernd Lange
- Dossier
- 2025-0130
More facts (3)
- Formats
- Official page PDF Word
- Subject matter
- LES, PME
- Reference
- COM(2025)0501 – C100092/2025 – 2025/0130(COD)
In short
A summary of the text written by AI; ¶ opens the paragraph it rests on.
AI: In short Written by AI from the official text — check the source · deepseek-flash · 25 Sept 2026
This is the Committee on International Trade's draft opinion on the Commission proposal to extend certain mitigating measures for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to small mid-cap enterprises (SMCs). It supports the proposal and tables amendments to the two trade defence regulations it amends. The amendments rename the SME Helpdesk as the Helpdesk, so that SMCs can use its standard forms, statistics and questionnaires, and require the annual report to evaluate the Helpdesk's capacity to serve SMEs and SMCs. The rapporteur asks that the quality of the Helpdesk's services be monitored, that more resources be given if needed, that timelines be respected and investigations shortened, with regular evaluation in the annual report to Parliament and the Council.
Position. The rapporteur agrees that the SMC category is necessary and that the amendments to Regulations (EU) 2016/1036 and (EU) 2016/1037 are useful. He proposes amendments to ensure the Helpdesk's service quality is monitored, more resources are attributed if necessary, and the annual report evaluates the Helpdesk's capacity to serve SMEs and SMCs.
Key points
- The Commission's SME Relief Package of 12 September 2023 aimed to help SMEs compete and grow, including enterprises that outgrow the SME thresholds and small mid-cap enterprises (SMCs).
- The Commission proposal gives targeted policy support to help companies scale, and the SMC definition covers enterprises three times the size of SMEs, formalised in Commission Recommendation C(2025) 3500 final.
- Two amended regulations are core EU trade defence tools: Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 on dumped imports and Regulation (EU) 2016/1037 on subsidised imports.
- The proposal extends to SMCs the obligation to facilitate access to trade defence instruments through a dedicated SME helpdesk, including awareness raising, general information, standard questionnaires and replies to general queries.
- The proposal also extends to SMCs the requirement that investigation periods coincide with the financial year whenever possible, especially for diverse and fragmented sectors.
- The rapporteur agrees the SMC category is necessary, as SMCs face similar administrative burdens to SMEs, and supports the amendments to the two trade defence regulations.
- The rapporteur says broadening the Helpdesk to SMCs must not undermine service quality, so quality should be monitored and more resources attributed if necessary.
- The rapporteur stresses that timelines must be respected and investigations shortened to mitigate the impact of unfair practices on SMEs and SMCs, with regular evaluation in the annual report to Parliament and the Council.
- Amendment 1 adds to Recital 13 that it is essential to ensure the quality of the services provided by the dedicated helpdesk.
- Amendments 2 and 5 correct editorial mistakes in the references to Regulations (EU) 2016/1036 and (EU) 2016/1037.
- Amendments 3 and 6 replace the second subparagraphs of Article 5(1a) and Article 10(1a) so that the Helpdesk, without the word SME, makes available standard forms for statistics and questionnaires.
- Amendments 4 and 7 replace the second subparagraphs of Article 23(1) and Article 32a(1) so that the annual report includes evaluation of the Helpdesk's capacity to provide efficient services to SMEs and SMCs.
Who is affected
- Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs): keep access to the Helpdesk and its services.
- Small mid-cap enterprises (SMCs): gain access to the Helpdesk, its forms and questionnaires, and to investigation periods aligned with the financial year.
- The Commission: must run the Helpdesk, report on its activities and evaluate its capacity to serve SMEs and SMCs.
- Diverse and fragmented industry sectors: benefit from helpdesk guidance and from investigation periods coinciding with the financial year.
Figures and deadlines
Text
The text as parsed from the official Word file. Every paragraph has a link (¶) and can be saved to a project as a passage.
Jump to an amendment (7)
Short justification
On 12 September 2023, the Commission published the SME Relief Package, announcing its goal to help small and medium sized enterprises to compete and grow, by - amongst others - being attentive to the needs of enterprises that outgrow the thresholds of the SME definition, and the broader range of small mid-cap enterprises (SMCs). In reports by Mario Draghi on ‘The future of European competitiveness’ and by Enrico Letta’s ‘Much more than a market’, both authors argue that EU regulation imposes a proportionally higher burden on SMEs and SMCs than on larger enterprises and suggest the Commission should extend the existing mitigation measures, currently available to SMEs, to SMCs to extend proportionality in EU law to them.
The objective of the Commission proposal is to provide targeted policy support that can help companies to scale, in particular in relevant and important sectors. In the current economic context and with a view to the sectors with high shares of companies in the bracket 250-749 employees the definition for SMCs therefore covers enterprises that are three times the size of SMEs. This is to better accompany scaling up of enterprises and to cover a larger number of companies. The Commission has issued a recommendation formalising such definition - Commission Recommendation of 21.5.2025 on the definition of small mid-cap enterprises - C(2025) 3500 final, as part of a simplification package for small mid-caps. This proposal, which amends a number of legislative acts forms part of that package.
Two of the Regulations amended by the Commission proposal are core EU trade defence tools: Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 on protection against dumped imports from countries not members of the European Union and Regulation (EU) 2016/1037 on protection against subsidised imports from countries not members of the European Union.
Under the above mentioned Regulations the Commission must facilitate access to the trade defence instruments for diverse and fragmented industry sectors, largely composed of SMEs, through a dedicated SME helpdesk, for example by raising awareness, providing general information and explanations on procedures and on how to submit a complaint, by releasing standard questionnaires in all official languages of the Union and by replying to general, non-case-specific queries. Commission's proposal extends this obligation vis-à-vis SMCs so that they benefit equally from the guidance and assistance of the helpdesk.
Another provision which is being amended, and its scope extended, is the requirement that investigation periods must, whenever possible, especially in the case of diverse and fragmented sectors coincide with the financial year. SMCs will equally benefit from this provision.
The Rapporteur agrees that the introduction of the SMC category in the legislative framework is necessary. They are prominently present in industrial ecosystems and are key to the competitiveness of the Union and its technological sovereignty but, where administrative burden is concerned, they face similar challenges as SMEs. The amendments proposed in Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 and Regulation (EU) 2016/1037 are therefore useful. Broadening the scope of the services provided by the current SME Helpdesk to include also SMCs as beneficiaries should however under no circumstances undermine the quality of such services. It is therefore appropriate that the quality of provided services is monitored and if necessary, more resources are attributed to the Helpdesk. It is also very important that the timelines are respected and that the general length of investigations is shortened to mitigate the impact of unfair practices on SMEs and SMCs. Regular evaluation of these elements should be presented in the framework of the annual report to the European Parliament and the Council.
The Committee on International Trade submits the following to the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety and Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, as the committee responsible:
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (13) Regulations (EU) 2016/1036 and (EU) 2016/1037 are part of the Union’s trade defence system. They allow the Union to investigate and address dumping and subsidisation by third countries and restore a level playing field in the Union market. If an investigation confirms the existence of such practices and resulting injury to the Union industry, the Commission imposes an anti-dumping or countervailing duty, provided such imposition is not against the Union interest. Anti-dumping and antisubsidy investigations require active involvement from enterprises. Investigations are normally initiated on the basis of a formal complaint from the affected Union industry that must contain evidence of the unfair practice and of the injury it has caused. Investigations require active involvement of, and data from, producers, importers and users of the product in the Union. Mainly because of their fragmentation and lack of resources, it is often very difficult for SMEs to understand trade defence and cooperate in trade defence proceedings. This is why Regulations (EU) 2016/1036 and (EU) 2016/1037 include provisions to overcome the barriers that stop smaller enterprises from accessing and using trade defence, namely through a dedicated helpdesk, and by, whenever possible, aligning investigation periods with the financial year. It is considered appropriate to ensure that SMCs also benefit from those provisions. | (13) Regulations (EU) 2016/1036 and (EU) 2016/1037 are part of the Union’s trade defence system. They allow the Union to investigate and address dumping and subsidisation by third countries and restore a level playing field in the Union market. If an investigation confirms the existence of such practices and resulting injury to the Union industry, the Commission imposes an anti-dumping or countervailing duty, provided such imposition is not against the Union interest. Anti-dumping and antisubsidy investigations require active involvement from enterprises. Investigations are normally initiated on the basis of a formal complaint from the affected Union industry that must contain evidence of the unfair practice and of the injury it has caused. Investigations require active involvement of, and data from, producers, importers and users of the product in the Union. Mainly because of their fragmentation and lack of resources, it is often very difficult for SMEs to understand trade defence and cooperate in trade defence proceedings. This is why Regulations (EU) 2016/1036 and (EU) 2016/1037 include provisions to overcome the barriers that stop smaller enterprises from accessing and using trade defence, namely through a dedicated helpdesk, and by, whenever possible, aligning investigation periods with the financial year. It is considered appropriate to ensure that SMCs also benefit from those provisions. It is essential to ensure that the quality of the services provided by the dedicated helpdesk remains unaffected and that the services are delivered in a timely manner. It is important to shorten the average length of investigation procedures to mitigate the impact of unfair practices on SMEs and SMCs. A regular evaluation of the capacities of the helpdesk should therefore form an integral part of the annual report to the European Parliament and to the Council. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Regulation (EU) No 2016/1036 is amended as follows: | Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 is amended as follows: |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (1a) in Article 5 (1a), the second subparagraph is replaced by the following: | |
| The SME Helpdesk shall make available standard forms for statistics to be submitted for standing purposes and questionnaires. | The Helpdesk shall make available standard forms for statistics to be submitted for standing purposes and questionnaires. |
The added paragraph comes from the existing text of Regulation (EU) 2016/0136. Reference to 'SME' before Helpdesk is deleted for consistency purposes.
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (2a) in Article 23 (1), the second subparagraph is replaced by the following: | |
| That report shall include information about the application of provisional and definitive measures, the termination of investigations without measures, undertakings, reinvestigations, reviews, significant distortions and verification visits, and the activities of the various bodies responsible for monitoring the implementation of this Regulation and fulfilment of the obligations arising therefrom. The report shall also cover the use of trade defence instruments by third countries targeting the Union and appeals against the measures imposed. It shall include the activities of the Hearing Officer of the Commission’s Directorate General for Trade and those of the SME Helpdesk in relation to the application of this Regulation. | 'That report shall include information about the application of provisional and definitive measures, the termination of investigations without measures, undertakings, reinvestigations, reviews, significant distortions and verification visits, and the activities of the various bodies responsible for monitoring the implementation of this Regulation and fulfilment of the obligations arising therefrom. The report shall also cover the use of trade defence instruments by third countries targeting the Union and appeals against the measures imposed. It shall include the activities of the Hearing Officer of the Commission’s Directorate General for Trade and those of the Helpdesk in relation to the application of this Regulation including the evaluation of the capacities of the Helpdesk to provide efficient services to SMEs and SMCs. |
The last sentence of the existing text of Article 23(1) second subparagraph of Regulation (EU) 2016/0136 is amended to reflect that the annual report should contain also evaluation of the capacities of the Helpdesk to deal with possible higher number of requests after the inclusion of SMCs into its scope.
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Regulation (EU) No 2016/1037 is amended as follows: | Regulation (EU) 2016/1037 is amended as follows: |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (1a) in Article 10(1a), the second subparagraph is replaced by the following: | |
| The SME Helpdesk shall make available standard forms for statistics to be submitted for standing purposes and questionnaires. | The Helpdesk shall make available standard forms for statistics to be submitted for standing purposes and questionnaires.’ |
The added paragraph comes from the existing text of Regulation (EU) 2016/0137. Reference to 'SME' before Helpdesk is deleted for consistency purposes.
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (2a) in Article 32a (1), the second subparagraph is replaced by the following: | |
| That report shall include information about the application of provisional and definitive measures, the termination of investigations without measures, undertakings, reinvestigations, reviews, significant distortions and verification visits, and the activities of the various bodies responsible for monitoring the implementation of this Regulation and fulfilment of the obligations arising therefrom. The report shall also cover the use of trade defence instruments by third countries targeting the Union and appeals against the measures imposed. It shall include the activities of the Hearing Officer of the Commission’s Directorate General for Trade and those of the SME Helpdesk in relation to the application of this Regulation. | 'That report shall include information about the application of provisional and definitive measures, the termination of investigations without measures, undertakings, reinvestigations, reviews, significant distortions and verification visits, and the activities of the various bodies responsible for monitoring the implementation of this Regulation and fulfilment of the obligations arising therefrom. The report shall also cover the use of trade defence instruments by third countries targeting the Union and appeals against the measures imposed. It shall include the activities of the Hearing Officer of the Commission’s Directorate General for Trade and those of the Helpdesk in relation to the application of this Regulation, including the evaluation of the capacities of the Helpdesk to provide efficient services to SMEs and SMCs. |
The last sentence of the existing text of Article 32a (1) second subparagraph of Regulation (EU) 2016/0137 is amended to reflect that the annual report should contain also evaluation of the capacities of the Helpdesk to deal with possible higher number of requests after the inclusion of SMCs into its scope.
Connections
The dossier, the decisions on this text and its other versions.
No connections found for this item.
Sources & citation
Where the facts on this page come from, and how to cite it.
- Data source
- Licensed CC BY 4.0.
- Retrieved
- 25 September 2026
Cite as
European Parliament (2025). “DRAFT OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulations (EU) 2016/679, (EU) 2016/1036, (EU) 2016/1037, (EU) 2017/1129, (EU) 2023/1542 and (EU) 2024/573 as regards the extension of certain mitigating measures available for small and medium sized enterprises to small mid-cap enterprises and further simplification measures”. Text, 15 October 2025. docId INTA-PA-778169. EU Parl Watch Research. https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/INTA-PA-778169 (retrieved 25 September 2026). Data: EP Open Data API: document record, https://data.europarl.europa.eu/api/v2/documents/INTA-PA-778169 (CC BY 4.0).
BibTeX
@misc{epw-text-inta-pa-778169,
author = {{European Parliament}},
title = {{DRAFT OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulations (EU) 2016/679, (EU) 2016/1036, (EU) 2016/1037, (EU) 2017/1129, (EU) 2023/1542 and (EU) 2024/573 as regards the extension of certain mitigating measures available for small and medium sized enterprises to small mid-cap enterprises and further simplification measures}},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-10-15},
howpublished = {\url{https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/INTA-PA-778169}},
url = {https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/INTA-PA-778169},
urldate = {2026-09-25},
publisher = {EU Parl Watch Research},
note = {Text. docId INTA-PA-778169. Data: EP Open Data API: document record (CC BY 4.0)}
}