Facing opportunities and threats: The 14th European SME Congress will identify development directions for the coming decades

Serious challenges and new responsibilities for entrepreneurs - the future brings many opportunities, but also threats. A whole range of answers to the key challenges for business, will be available on October 29 and 30 during the 14th edition of the European Congress of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Katowice.

Europe's largest meeting of the small and medium-sized enterprise sector will traditionally be held at the International Congress Center in Katowice, Poland. The motto of this year's edition is “Shape the Future Now,” meaning shape the future now.

Nine reasons for discussion

For years, the European Union has been a world leader in its efforts to take care of the environment and the future of the planet. The goals set, however, mean concrete, serious baggage for citizens, governments, but especially for businesses. Such a generational problem is the environmental transition.

The European theme comes up every year, but in this one it has special significance.

First challenge –competition

For years, the European Union has been a world leader in its efforts to take care of the environment and the future of the planet. The goals set, however, mean concrete, serious baggage for citizens, governments, but especially for businesses. Such a generational problem is the environmental transition.

- The goal is an economy moving toward a closed loop (GOZ). A tool for achieving it is the mandatory reporting of ESG indicators, which will soon be mandatory. For thousands of companies, this is a key new obligation, as only compliance with environmental requirements will allow them to remain competitive in the common European market - explains Tomasz Zjawiony..

This is a major challenge, because ESG reporting requires, among other things, the education of tens of thousands of specialists in the field. Environmental and energy transformation is a multi-stage and multi-threaded process. Its various aspects will be discussed in more than a dozen thematic tracks: “Going Global”, ‘Law and Taxes’, ‘Tech Trends’ or ”Think Eco! Forum.”

Attention! Financial liquidity at risk

„Ekonomy! Stupid” – this Bill Clinton election slogan has shaped economic and business discussions around the world in recent decades. It is still relevant today, as smaller and larger economic crises, global pandemics or armed conflicts, disrupt business every now and then.

- The small and medium-sized business sector is facing serious financial problems, payment delays, rising business costs and high inflation. All of this, negatively affects the liquidity of not only specific companies, but entire industries, - the RIG president points out.

A key challenge for any business owner is maintaining liquidity. The iceberg, however, upon collision with which even the best business can sink is payment bottlenecks. The more difficult the situation of the industry or the economy as a whole, the greater they are. What can help?

- Certainly factoring, but not only. There are new financial instruments on the market, but also subsidies - Tomasz Zjawiony hints.

Second challenge – Maintain the finantial liquidity 

The answers to the question: how to maintain liquidity and who will help with it, participants of the 14th ECSME will find in the thematic track: “Finance and Investment.” That's six discussions over two congressional ni. Reliefs and subsidies for entrepreneurs under the National Recovery Plan, financing the energy transition, investments in the entertainment industry, examples of success for many companies - these are just some of the announced topics.

The panel “Highway of Opportunities - Capital for Development” (Wednesday, October 30, 11:30 am) promises to be particularly interesting. Participants will point out where today it is best to raise capital for investment, what financial instruments the European Union offers, but will also discuss obstacles and barriers for the SME sector.

Risks are lurking everywhere

As experts say, the only certainty in today's economy is rapid change and considerable uncertainty, hence the fundamental importance of anticipating and managing risk, but also strategic planning.


Companies in the SME sector, like all others, need to introduce new IT solutions and technologies. Although the deadline for the introduction of the National e-Invoicing Systems was recently postponed to February 1, 2026, the date for the start of this “revolution” is steadily approaching. The first to meet this obligation will be entrepreneurs with a turnover of more than PLN 200 million next year. Smaller ones, will have two more months to prepare.

- Final consultations with the Ministry of Finance and the National Tax Administration are ahead of us. The opinions of the participants in the ECME are important, because it is necessary to move towards simplification of the system -  explains RIG Vice President Marlena Miąsko.

It is already known that entrepreneurs will be able to use a special application prepared by the Finance Minister. Basic invoices and their corrections will be able to be issued even on a smartphone. Test versions of the application are already available.

The multitude of topics and discussions

 Many answers (or hints) will be found by several thousand Congress participants already on October 29 and 30 during the 14th edition of Europe's largest meeting of the small and medium-sized enterprise sector in Katowice, Poland. The motto of this year's edition is “Shape the Future Now,” meaning shape the future now.

The conclusions of the discussions under the other thematic tracks of the ECSME promise to be interesting. “Company is People”, ‘Smart City for Business’ - these are another of the nine delineated during the 14th edition of the ECSME. The one prepared jointly with the European Commission and the European Parliament should attract special attention: “Poland's 20 years in the EU - The Labor Market in Transition”.

The Congress is traditionally accompanied by the Business Expo, organized jointly with Enterprise Europe Network and the Upper Silesia Fund - B2B meetings and Job Fair, American Day, i.e. meetings devoted to investment opportunities not only in the US, but also in Germany or other EU countries.

Free registration 

Participation in the European Congress of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises is free. You just need to register at: www.ekmsp.eu. Registration is still ongoing.

The organizer of #EKMŚP is the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Katowice. As a creator of the meetings and events industry, it has been supporting regional business and stimulating its development for more than 34 years. It provides business and communications consulting to its Member Companies and helps them establish contacts with partners at home and abroad.

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Contact for Media: Magdalena Jarocka, director of PR and marketing +48 534 221 566, mjarocka@rig.katowice.pl

This press release was prepared by the organizers of the event. For more information, please visit the ECMW website at www.ekmsp.eu. We encourage national, regional and local media to participate and cover this unique event. Special facilities have been prepared for media representatives to enable them to work as quickly and comfortably as possible as journalists.