The European Commission announced that this year it has been received over 400 projects to compete for a chance to enter the European Enterprise Promotion Awards. The 57 national competition winners will now go forward to the pan-European Awards, whose jury will begin reviewing the entries before releasing in September a shortlist of the top 12 entrants to go forward to the final competition.

The European Enterprise Promotion Awards have received over 400 projects applications for competing in the 2012's edition. The number of entries was slightly higher than in 2011, despite the challenging economic environment. It was also only the second time in the history of the awards that all 27 EU Member States have participated. The period for candidates was opened in March 2012.

They competed to be selected as examples of the best initiatives to promote enterprise and entrepreneurship and showcase best entrepreneurship policies, in order to create a greater awareness of the role entrepreneurs play in society and encourage and inspire potential entrepreneurs. There are five categories in the Awards programme: Promoting the Entrepreneurial Spirit; Investing in Skills; Improving the Business Environment; Supporting the Internationalisation of Business; Responsible and Inclusive Entrepreneurship.

The European Enterprise Promotion Awards aim to recognise innovation and reward the success of public bodies and public-private partnerships in promoting enterprise and entrepreneurship at a national, regional and local level. Nearly 2.000 projects have entered since the awards were launched and together they have supported the creation of over 10.000 new companies and more than 70.000 new jobs, as well as the safeguarding of over 30.000 jobs.