The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has set out five points to evaluate the success of the German Presidency when it comes to a close in June. Cutting red-tape would provide a one-off boost to the EU economy of 150 billion Euros. Furthermore, EU legislation costs the business community 600 billion Euros every year.

Small firms
Tina Sommer, FSB EU Affairs Chairman, said: “When even an EU Commissioner estimates that legislation from Brussels costs European businesses 600 billion Euros every year it is clear that now is the time for action.

"If every small business in Europe created one more job, unemployment in the EU would be eradicated.

“2007 is the year to turn the good intentions of better regulation into serious actions and tangible results. SMEs have the ability to drastically increase economic activity across Europe and slash unemployment if only law-makers would give them a chance. It is in all our interests to achieve this and we call on the German Presidency to rise to our challenge to free up small businesses.”

David Caro, who owns a manufacturing company in the West Midlands, said: “I don’t want to be flavour of the month under one Presidency and forgotten by the next. Small businesses should be on the EU agenda all the time.”

Fünf punkte
The FSB’s Fünf Punkte for the German EU Presidency are:

• To set a target to cut the burden of red tape for businesses at EU and national level by 25 per cent.


• All legal proposals should be annulled if not passed by the end of a European Parliamentary Term.


• Deadlines should be set in the European Parliament and Council for the simplification of existing regulations.


• An independent review panel should be created to ensure the quality of all regulatory impact assessments.


• Member states should be compelled to provide ‘correlation tables’ to make the implementation of EU rules transparent across all 27 nations.

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Susie Hughes
The Editor © Hardhatter 2006