31In that regard, it is apparent from recitals 9 and 12 of the preamble to that recommendation that the definition of linked enterprises aims to gain a better understanding of the economic position of SMEs and to remove from that qualification of SMEs groups of enterprises whose economic power may exceed that of genuine SMEs, with a view to ensuring that only those enterprises which really need the advantages accruing to the category of SMEs from the different rules or measures in their favour actually benefit from them. Those recitals also state that in order to limit to the strict minimum the examination of relations between enterprises which pass through natural persons, the account taken of such relationships must be restricted to cases where those enterprises engage in activities in the relevant market or in adjacent markets.
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