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The European Central Bank (ECB) is publishing today its fourth report on the results of the Survey on the access to finance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the euro area. This survey round was conducted between 21 February and 25 March 2011, covering an increased sample of 7,532 firms in the euro area. The report provides information on the financial situation, financing needs and access to financing of SMEs in the euro area, compared with large firms, in the six preceding months (i.e. from September 2010 to February 2011). According to the survey results, euro area SMEs external financing needs increased slightly between September 2010 and February 2011. At the same time, the survey results show that access to bank loans continued to improve, albeit...
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