It has the following advantages being member of AECM:
• Continuous information about European policy affecting guarantee schemes
The members are integrated in a constant information flow about European policy affecting guarantee schemes like, for instance, in the area of enterprise policy, SME policy, regional policy, state aid policy, etc.
• Representation of interests at European level
The members’ interests are represented at European level in the course of initiatives affecting guarantee schemes; examples are the upcoming communication on national promotional banks, the consultation on the capital markets union, the General Block Exemption Regulation, the communication on the notion of state aid, and so on.
• Benefiting from joint forces at European level
The members’ interests are not only multiplied by the other 41 members of AECM, but, where it is beneficial they are even more leveraged due to joint initiatives with other associations and networks. To illustrate: In 2014 several joint initiatives were undertaken with EAPB and NEFI regarding the interpretation and application of the so called Financial Regulation and its Rules of Application in order to ensure a successful implementation of the EU Financial Instruments.
• Enabling the direct access to representatives of European institutions and other stakeholders
At AECM events like seminars, working group meetings, information sessions, operational training sessions, etc. members have the possibility to get directly in touch with officials of the European institutions and other stakeholders with high importance for guarantee schemes like, for instance, the European Investment Fund (EIF). Thereby, the members receive first hand information and enhance their own visibility.
To provide you with some latest examples:
– in March, a workshop on the report “Credit Guarantee Schemes for SME lending in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe” was organised in Brussels in which two representatives of the EIB and two of the EIF took part;
– in April, AECM organises exclusively for its members an Operational Training Session (OTS) with internal and external speakers on „Policies and Procedures for Collaterals”;
– in May, two representatives of the EIF and one of the European Commission will take part in a workshop on the investment plan for jobs and growth in Europe which will be exclusively for AECM members;
– in June the annual events of AECM will take place gathering more than 300 representatives from European institutions, banking and business associations, member institutions as well as from international institutions like the OECD or the US Small Business Administration;
– Further events are envisaged with other European associations like the European Builders’ Confederation (EBC) or the SME Intergroup of the European Parliament as well as an OTS in October 2015 on “Innovations in Credit Guarantee Schemes: A Way to Success”.
• Be part of and benefit from a speaker pool
AECM is an intermediary for its members concerning speakers: On the one side, AECM enables its members to gain speakers from other members of AECM or of the European institutions and, on the other side, AECM nominates its members as speaker at events of the European institutions, at events of other members of AECM or at events of AECM. Like this, several members got a slot as speaker at the first innovative enterprise week conference in Riga/ Latvia in June 2015.
• Training of the staff of AECM members
In order to facilitate the exchange among the middle management, AECM organises operational training sessions (OTS) on specific topics. In the course of these meetings which take place twice per year a particular topic is dealt with in depth. The limited number of participants allows for an informal and lively exchange supplemented by the presence of external speakers who discuss the topics in an open and informal way, sometimes under the Chatham House Rule. The last OTS took place in Porto/ Portugal on 20/ 21 November 2014 on the analysis and evaluation of the guarantee instrument and in Brussels/ Belgium on 3/4 July 2014 on the new generation of financial instruments. The next one will take place in Maribor/ Slovenia on 16/ 17 April 2015 on „Policies and Procedures for Collaterals”.
• Integration in statistical activities at European and International level
The members’ activities are part of the work of AECM in the area of statistics and studies. The data collected and edited by AECM is constantly communicated to and very much appreciated by the OECD, the EIF, the European Commission, etc. thereby becoming part of the publication of these European and international institutions. Whereas the major part of this highly professional and well elaborated work is publicly available some information is for members only. As an example serves the study on provisioning which is exclusively for the members of AECM.
• Benefitting from the international network of AECM
AECM organises once per year a seminar in which speakers and participants from outside of Europe take part. These international stakeholders are from guarantee schemes as well as from international organisations. Therefore, AECM facilitates for its members an exchange of experience and information at international level. The next seminar will take place in Berlin on 19 June 2015 being attended by around 300 to 350 participants.
Likewise AECM is invited as speaker at conferences outside of Europe presenting its work and members. To give an example: The President of AECM will be a speaker at the Forty-Fifth Ordinary Meeting of the Latin American Association of Development Financial Institutions General Assembly – ALIDE 45 in May 2015.
Moreover, AECM receives regularly requests from international delegations to help them getting in touch with members of AECM in specific countries. To illustrate: in July 2015 a Japanese delegation will visit the three French members of AECM.
• Advantages due to AECM’s working groups
AECM provides for an intensified exchange of information and experience in the course of the work of its working groups (on structural funds, statistics & studies, agriculture, state aid, banking legislation, SME policy). The discussions run at those meetings are technical and profound corresponding to the individual needs and concerns of its members. The expert knowledge gathered on such occasions is to the benefit of all participants, often as well supplemented by one or more external speakers.
• Support in getting access to the EU Financial Instruments
If a member has not used EU Financial Instruments, AECM and those of its members who dispose of a large and profound experience are ready to provide support wherever and whenever required giving first hand information.
