75 Spanish companies make London Stock Exchange Group’s ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Europe’ report

Today, company CEOs featured in the report were welcomed at the European Parliament by Commissioner Lord Hill, Mr Othmar Karas MEP, Mr Paul Tang MEP, Mr Ramon Tremosa MEP, Kay Swinburne MEP and Xavier Rolet, CEO, London Stock Exchange Group at a special launch event which celebrated the spirit of small and mid-sized companies’ ambition and entrepreneurialism.

Vice-Chair of Economics Committee, Pablo Zalba MEP:

“My sincere congratulations to the Spanish companies in 1000 Companies to Inspire Europe. Today more than ever we need companies like these to boost growth and job creation. There are 75 Spanish companies and 2 from Navarre, these are good news.”

Commissioner Lord Hill said:

“The companies you will find in the ‘1,000 Companies to Inspire Europe’ report are all remarkable examples of European hard work and entrepreneurship. They come from all 28 EU Countries and from a wide range of business sectors. This report gives these companies the recognition they deserve. But more than that, I hope that by providing investors with a selection of companies with great potential ‘1,000 companies to Inspire Europe’ will make it easier for them to find opportunities and channel investment to SMEs that want to grow and compete in bigger markets, helping to make Capital Markets Union a reality.”

Xavier Rolet, Chief Executive, London Stock Exchange Group said:

“This research shows high-growth SMEs are the driving force behind the European economy. While the public sector and big blue chip companies have not been creating jobs for many years now, these companies are growing and employing at an incredible rate. And because by definition these companies are innovators, these jobs tend to be higher skilled and higher paid, helping to give young Europeans the brighter economic future they deserve.

“So it is critical that we give these firms access to suitable growth finance that will enable them to invest, grow and become the big job providers of tomorrow.”

LSEG’s “1000 Companies to Inspire Europe” report has received international political support with contributions from Markus Ferber MEP, Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Othmar Karas MEP, Alain Lamassoure MEP, Paul Tang MEP and Kay Swinburne MEP.

A full searchable database of all of the companies along with a downloadable pdf of the publication can be found online at www.1000companies.com

The report is supported by AFME

Simon Lewis, CEO, AFME said:

“We are delighted to support this important and timely initiative by the London Stock Exchange Group, which highlights Europe’s SME success stories. SMEs are at the heart of the European economy and supporting them to grow and innovate is vital to Europe’s long-term economic future. Part of this involves facilitating access to diverse sources of funding, as well as helping SMEs to think creatively about their financing options. AFME’s pan-European guide on raising finance, published in six European languages, sets out all of the funding options available to Europe’s SMEs, which we hope will prove useful to the high growth companies of the future.”

Further support and contributions from leading business bodies in the EU including Business Europe, European Issuers, EUROCHAMBRES, EUAPME and CEPS/ECMI.

The report is part of LSEG’s broader support campaign for ambitious SMEs which includes ELITE, the innovative programme now counting almost 400 international businesses. At the launch, LSEG announced an ELITE European roadshow which will take place in major European cities throughout 2016. This will bring further visibility to the companies in their home countries and allow them the opportunity to access ELITE, helping to support them in their long term growth.