First of all, UEAPME stressed that most of Europe's SMEs, especially small and micro enterprises, act mainly on local and regional markets and typically process only a few cross-border payments per year. "These companies are accustomed to their national payment systems, and will not opt for SEPA if the system will concentrate on providing better and cheaper cross-border services but increase the costs of national payments at the same time", commented Gerhard Huemer, UEAPME Director for Economic and Fiscal Policy. UEAPME therefore insisted on the need to ensure that SEPA will offer some added value to customers operating mainly or exclusively at national level.
Secondly, the starting points for the changeover to SEPA, i.e. the current national payment systems, differ dramatically on features such as transaction times, additional optional services and card payments. Against this background, UEAPME urged Member States to involve national SME representative organisations in migration plans as early as possible to ensure a smooth and State-tailored transition with shared objectives.
Thirdly, UEAPME denounced the risk of SEPA creating new monopolies for elements such as payment card hardware or payment support services. SMEs currently suffer from the lack of competition between operators, terminal providers and technical assistance. SEPA will only be accepted, said UEAPME, if it contributes to increased competition, better offers and lower prices for these services. UEAPME thus called on national and European competition watchdogs to take all the necessary steps to avoid market restrictions and overpricing.
