Can European SMEs really intercept the internationalisation paths of fast growth?

In order to boost its economic reprise, the European Union needs to intercept as quickly as possible the business opportunities in fast growing markets, such as BRIC countries as well as the USA and Japan. This is the goal of a new strategy proposed by the European Commission and aimed at coordinating and enforcing the public policies supporting SMEs (Small and Medium size Enterprises) to enter the markets beyond Europe. This paper analyses this new intentional coordinated strategy for promoting the internationalisation of SMEs, from the micro point of view of small enterprises, asking if there is effective room for increasing the export performance of small businesses on those markets. Building on research and literature on small business management and international business strategy, it shed light on the critical issues related to this new policy and presents some possible solution for an effective implementation of a more coordinated public aid for promoting the internationalization of European SMEs.