Cynthia Ní Mhurchú Demands KPI Results from Commissioner
MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú challenged Commissioner Dambrowski on how he measures his KPIs a year and a half into his mandate, pressing for concrete results for SMEs in Ireland South. She warned that rising costs, labour pressures and compliance burdens have left seven in ten SMEs more pessimistic than six months ago.
Cynthia Ní Mhurchú put the perspective of small and medium enterprises at the centre of her address. She asked the Commissioner directly how he tracks progress against his ambitions to 2029 and demanded measurable proof of policy results that matter to business owners.
She described how SMEs measure survival by profit margin and key performance indicators, not by policy jargon like omnibus or deep clearing. Ní Mhurchú cited recent feedback that seven out of ten SMEs feel more pessimistic now, with rising labour costs and growing compliance burdens cutting into margins.
The MEP pressed for transparency: concrete KPIs, regular reporting, and measurable outcomes that translate into lower costs and reduced red tape for businesses in Ireland South. Her intervention framed the debate around tangible results rather than abstract ambitions.
Ní Mhurchú’s questions underline a wider demand from legislators for evidence-based evaluation of Commission initiatives. The address signals that MEPs will continue to press for accountability where EU policy affects the daily survival of small businesses.
Key question: how do you measure success
Cynthia Ní Mhurchú put the perspective of small and medium enterprises at the centre of her address. She asked the Commissioner directly how he tracks progress against his ambitions to 2029 and demanded measurable proof of policy results that matter to business owners.
SMEs under pressure
She described how SMEs measure survival by profit margin and key performance indicators, not by policy jargon like omnibus or deep clearing. Ní Mhurchú cited recent feedback that seven out of ten SMEs feel more pessimistic now, with rising labour costs and growing compliance burdens cutting into margins.
Demand for accountability
The MEP pressed for transparency: concrete KPIs, regular reporting, and measurable outcomes that translate into lower costs and reduced red tape for businesses in Ireland South. Her intervention framed the debate around tangible results rather than abstract ambitions.
Implications for policy and oversight
Ní Mhurchú’s questions underline a wider demand from legislators for evidence-based evaluation of Commission initiatives. The address signals that MEPs will continue to press for accountability where EU policy affects the daily survival of small businesses.
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Transcript
Commissioner Dombrowski, thank you. Put yourself in the shoes of the SMEs in Ireland South that I represent. They measure the success of their business, or whether it will survive or not, by the margin, the profit margin, the revenue remaining after the SME has deducted its operating costs. They measure KPIs, key performance indicators, in order to survive. My question to you, Commissioner, is, a year and a half into your role, how do you measure your KPIs? How have you measured them thus far, a year and a half on? How are you measuring them? And what will be the measure of your success and your huge ambition that you've outlined to us by 2029, the end of the mandate? Because, quite frankly, references to omnibus and deep clearing and everything else that we've heard about, that means nothing to the SMEs of Ireland, who have told the chartered accountants that seven out of ten of them are more pessimistic than six months ago. Rising costs are impacting on them, especially labour costs, compliance burden on them. So please produce the results of your success.