The European Enterprise Promotion Awards recognises and celebrates organisations and initiatives that use ground breaking, creative ways to help to create and sustain Europe’s SME and entrepreneurship community. The Grand Jury Prize will take place in Naples in October.

A record number of 31 countries entered the 2014 European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPAs). 22 projects from 15 countries – Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Turkey and the UK – were shortlisted during the jury meeting held earlier this summer.

Ferdinando Nelli Feroci, the newly appointed Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, stressed the creativity and imagination used to produce these outstanding results which he believes will inspire and encourage young people and women especially, to choose entrepreneurship as a viable career path.

The shortlisted projects will apply in the following categories:

• Category 1: Promoting the Entrepreneurial Spirit
• Category 2: Investing in Entrepreneurial Skills
• Category 3: Improving the Business Environment
• Category 4: Supporting the Internationalisation of Business
• Category 5: Supporting the Development of Green Markets and Resource Efficiency
• Category 6: Responsible and Inclusive Entrepreneurship

These projects have been shortlisted on the basis of  defined criteria covering:

• Originality & feasibility
• Impact on the economy
• Improvement of stakeholder relations
• Transferability

You can also follow the Awards on Twitter in English, French, Spanish, German and Italian, on Facebook, on YouTube in English, French, Spanish, German and Italian.