Chief Economist of Bigbank recognized as Friend of Entrepreneurship

Estonian Association of SME´s has selected the 2024 Friend of Entrepreneurship, who, as a result of a vote by the council, is economist and Chief Economist of Bigbank- Raul Eamets.

According to the EVEA Council, Raul Eamets' opinion articles and statements are very insightful, and he sees issues from the perspective of entrepreneurs and businesses. His speeches have highlighted the understanding that one cannot focus solely on large companies – Raul Eamets is someone who understands small businesses!

The title of Friend of Entrepreneurship 2024 was formally presented at the small business conference and exhibition SÜDI. In his thank-you speech before the 200 small business owners in the hall, Raul Eamets said, “When you think about it, this is really a great honor! I don’t know if you realise this every day, but you represent all Estonian businesses, because 95% of companies have fewer than 10 employees. Only 5% are slightly larger.”

“We need to talk about regional policy. We can talk about tax incentives for those outside Harju County, because there are businesses and life there as well. We can discuss changing the regional distribution, which civil servants have opposed for a long time, which would divide Estonia into two – Tallinn and Harju County, and the rest of Estonia. In this way, we could continue using EU regional policy funds, which we would no longer be able to do otherwise. And as a third idea, I have proposed dividing electricity prices into zones to attract business outside large centers, particularly Tallinn and Harju County.”

The title of "Friend of Entrepreneurship" has been awarded by Estonian entrepreneurs, initiated by the Estonian Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Association, since 1993. The title is given to an organization or an individual from the public, political, or societal sphere for outstanding achievements and contributions to promoting private enterprise, and especially small business development.