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Van den Brande welcomes EU efforts to reduce the administrative burdens faced by EU companies.
26.03.2008, 14:41
"In the past, the EU had a reputation for over-regulating in the business arena, even if its intentions were good - for instance to produce a level playing field and legal certainty in the internal market. Nowadays the EU is more about 'light-touch' regulation, cutting red-tape and one-stop-shop solutions like the Enterprise Europe Network . We're partners, in the business of helping companies and the people they employ to reach their full potential," said Committee of the Regions' President Van den Brande.
"Local and regional authorities have a special role to play in communicating what the EU is doing to back business. We have a regional policy and a research policy geared to creating the right environment for companies to grow. The EU is clamping down on expensive notification and reporting procedures where it can. This might sound dull and technical to some, but it's music to the ears of entrepreneurs. It's the real deal: it means our companies can invest more in innovation and R&D, which in turn boosts competitiveness and creates jobs," he added.
The CoR President was speaking in the wake of the European Commission's recent announcement of 11 new fast track actions aimed at reducing administrative burdens and enhancing growth. Part of an overall programme to reduce business red-tape by 25 percent in 2012, the measures are predicted to produce cost savings of around 1 billion euro. Among the new proposals for simplifying rules hampering the success of businesses are:
Exempting 190,000 SMEs from statistical reporting duties (Intrastat)
Ending requirement for companies to pay twice to disclose the same business information in electronic commercial registers and official journal/national gazette
Dropping requirement for new labelling on batteries lawfully placed on the market before 26 September 2008
Ending requirement for certified translations when companies open branches in other EU countries using the same language
Simplification of paperwork for companies placing medicines on the EU market. This will make it easier to change rules for packaging or production without jeopardizing patient safety.
Ten fast track actions were previously tabled in 2007, with estimated savings of € 1.3 billion for EU businesses. Five of these actions have been adopted, cutting administrative burdens by approximately € 500 million (see MEMO/08/63). The European Parliament and the Council are likely to adopt the remaining proposals in the first part of 2008. Click here for European Commission press release
Source: www.cor.eu