Since 2012 Horst Heitz has been the Executive Director of SME Europe of the EPP (SMEE). In this function, he joined the Steering Committee of SME Connect (SMEC) (2017) and became its chair in the same year. In 2019 he was also appointed Deputy Secretary-General and Special Representative for SMEs for the Taxpayers Association of Europe (TAE). In 2020 Dr Heitz became the alternate for Dr Paul Rübig in the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).