Division (1) F1

Following the conclusions of the European Council of 27 and 28 June 2013, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Commission carried out an ex-ante assessment aimed at defining the market failure for financial services and available financial instruments for SMEs currently existing at a pan-European level (the ‘Ex-Ante Assessment’), in the context of a joint European effort to revitalise the blocked credit channel to SMEs, stimulate economic growth and counter fragmentation of the internal market regarding SMEs access to credit (the ‘SME Initiative’);