On 4 April 2025, the first event organised by EFESME with its members to celebrate the Federation's 20th anniversary took place in Paris. This first meeting and discussion opportunity was developed with the collaboration and full participation of ANPA, the French member of EFESME.

The event, a round table dedicated to European lift SMEs and their role at national level and beyond, was successfully held within the framework of one of the monthly meetings that ANPA organises with its members.
Following a very interesting and comprehensive presentation by Mr. Jean-Pierre Ménard, who detailed the development of standardisation and legislation in the sector at European and international level, and the role of EFESME, its members and experts in the same, the session dedicated to EFESME opened with a speech by EFESME's Secretary General, José Maria Compagni.

The Secretary General took the opportunity to briefly summarise the initiatives organised and in preparation for the 20th anniversary, so that EFESME can celebrate together this important milestone that the Federation has reached thanks to the constant work of its team, the technical experts involved and the SMEs and national associations. Over these two decades together, they have all given it the confidence and strength to grow to become the representative par excellence of the European independent lift industry.

The panel discussion itself was attended by Mr. Luca Incoronato, EFESME's Policy Officer; Mr. Marcel Boutiller, French SME entrepreneur and former EFESME President; and two French small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, Mr. Rémi Pegoud and Mr. Paul Georges.

The round table was thus able to come alive by showing both the point of view of entrepreneurs at national level, with their specificities and difficulties, and that of the representation and activities at European level to support and defend the interests of SMEs, carried out by the Federation. In this context of virtuous exchange and comparison, the four speakers, masterfully moderated by Jean-Pierre Ménard, addressed several topics of great relevance to SMEs in the sector, including:

• What are the weaknesses and strengths of SMEs in the lifts sector?
• Why don't SMEs in the lifts sector have a larger market share?
• What does the European dimension and the EFESME network bring to a local SME?

This made it possible to conduct the conversation involving all the various parties present, also and above all going into detail regarding the technical-political activities carried out by EFESME at European and international level, including with its partners SBS - Small Business Standards and SMEunited. Aware of the fact that, at times, there is an important gap between the national reality and the reality of European activities, the speakers, especially Mr. Incoronato, weaved a dialogue to create a bridge, and give even more tools to French SMEs to understand the importance of active participation at European level through their contributions, their demands and their positions to be supported together.
Mr. Incoronato spoke at lenght about SBS - about the many activities that EFESME and its experts follow and develop with it about stanadardisation, such as the participation to CEN TC 10, ETSI Smart M2M, and ISO TC 178 to work in favour of the writing of SME-friendly standards. About the events and the occasions organised together to train and inform European lift SMEs about the latest news and updates on policies and standards. About the importance of being member of such a relevant organisation, with its weight and role recognised not only at European level, but also internationally to protect SMEs, including our own. 

Indeed, on the basis of Mr. Ménard's previous presentation, on the overview of how both sector standards and European policies are developed within the sector, Mr. Incoronato was able to intervene several times to detail EFESME's activities with its representatives and experts to protect small and medium-sized enterprises. Activities such as the participation in the Commission Expert Group on Lifts and the Commission Expert Group on Machinery were explained in detail, answering the doubts and curiosities of those present, especially in the light of the ongoing evaluation of the Lift Directive by the Commission and the role played by EFESME during the development of the new Machinery Regulation.

There was also the opportunity for Mr. Incoronato to talk about the activities that EFESME carries out with the collaboration of SBS, a subject already introduced by Mr. Ménard regarding the technical participation of experts in the working groups of CEN-CENELEC and ETSI, at European level, and of ISO, at international level. The section dedicated to SBS made it possible to go into detail regarding the standards currently being developed in the various groups, what their impact on SMEs might be, and the work that EFESME, supported by SBS, is carrying out. All of this is always done to ensure that we can arrive at the writing of standards that are truly SME-friendly, truly tools and not obstacles for the prosperity amd growth of European small and medium-sized lift companies.

This round table, just the first in a series of events that will see the Federation and its team engaged on other dates around Europe with their members, was an excellent opportunity to meet national SMEs, talk directly with them face-to-face and pick up together the main points of both EFESME's work in Europe and the issues and positions that SMEs themselves may encounter. EFESME and its team are aware that the European reality can sometimes seem far away and difficult to approach, but with these and other events, as well as with its presence, techno-political work, and communication activities, EFESME wants to show that it is accessible to SMEs as well, and as true protagonists.

EFESME would like to sincerely thank ANPA for its valuable collaboration in organising the event and for hosting and participating in it, in the certainty that it is only the first of a long cooperation in France! Merci !

 Read more about the next event, in Madrid HERE. 

Read more about the EFESME 20th Anniversary and the related initiatives HERE.

 Contact the EFESME Secretariat at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for any questions you may have on the event and/or the 20th Anniversary Celebrations!