The IMCO committee of the European Parliament has postponed the vote on the moratorium regulation governing trade relationships. The Multisectoral Platform against Delays in Payments (PMcM), which brings together around one million small and medium-sized enterprises and self-employed professionals, condemns this decision, describing it as a political move by some groups that pushes the vote back to March 21.
The delay follows attempts by conservative groups such as the European People’s Party to insert amendments that soften the text by reintroducing the idea of parties freely agreeing to terms, thereby legally allowing longer payment periods than those set by the regulation. In the European Parliament, where a group and its members enjoy freedom of voting, the lack of a clear result led to the regulation finally entering the last full session in April, just before the dissolution of the legislature ahead of the European elections.
The PMcM president, Antoni Cañete, expressed deep frustration about this unexpected delay, attributing it to lobbying by large distributors and other interests. He argued that big corporations and organized groups are abusing their power against European SMEs and self-employed workers, with politicians choosing to stand by those interests rather than support the most vulnerable actors.
Lucha sin cesar
PMcM has warned that the organization will not relent in its fight until the two misleading measures are removed. These measures, it says, would negatively affect millions of self-employed people and SMEs across Europe, who bear the brunt of late payments. The platform emphasizes that large corporations should not be allowed to rewrite a basic rule that sustains fair competition and the viability of European enterprises.
The PMcM has welcomed the remarks of the lead speaker, the eurodeputy Roza Thun, while criticizing the postponement for potentially jeopardizing months of progress. The organization expects a practical alignment with negotiated terms, recognizing the need for timely responses for SMEs. Cañete notes that the platform will use the coming weeks to brief European bodies and the europarliament members involved in the process.
From the PMcM’s perspective, allowing free negotiations between the contracting parties is legitimate but not appropriate in this specific case. It does not guarantee the neutrality sought by the regulation and could legally open the door to longer payment terms than those established by the rule. In situations where the financially weaker party must fund the stronger one, the absence of equity in payment term freedom could arise, so legislation should consider disparities between the parties to ensure a neutral outcome.