EU Intelligence » The ESBA Bulletin » 2001
- 2 February 2001 - VOL 3 - N° 9
- 9 February 2001 - VOL 3 - N° 10
- 23 February 2001 - VOL 3 - N° 12
- 23 March - Vol 3 N 16
- 30 March - Vol 3 N 17
- 6 April - Vol 3 N 18
- 13 April 2001 - VOL 3 - N° 19
- 20 April - Vol 3 N 20
- 27 April - Vol 3 N 21
- 4 May - Vol 3 N 22
- 11 May - Vol 3 N 23
- 18 May - Vol 3 N 24
- 22 June - Vol 3 N 28
- 29 June - Vol 3 N 29
- 6 July - Vol 3 N 30
- 13 July - Vol 3 N 31
- 20 July - Vol 3 N 32
- 27 July - Vol 3 N 33
- 02 August - Vol 3 N 34
- 31 August - Vol 3 N 35
- 21 September - Vol 3 N 38
- 28 September - Vol 3 N 39
- 5 October - Vol 3 N 40
- 12 October - Vol 3 N 41
- 19 October - Vol 3 N 42
- 26 October - Vol 3 N 43
- 2 November - Vol 3 N 44
- 9 & 16 November - Vol 3 - No 45/6
- 23 November - Vol 3 N 47
- 30 November - Vol 3 N 48
- 07 December 2001 - VOL 3 - N° 49
- 14 December 2001 - VOL 3 - N° 50
- 21 December 2001 - VOL 3 - N° 51
question - Eugene Ionesco
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ESBA WEEKLY of Friday 28 September 2001 - VOL 3 - N° 39
Headlines of WEEK 39:
- INTERNAL MARKET: Regulation on cross-border payments underway
- EMU: Most SMEs simply change as from 01-01-2002
- TAXATION: Tobin tax will be analysed in Globalisation Report
- UPCOMING EVENTS
- NOTE TO READER: due to the ESBA Board Meeting last weekend, the
ESBA weekly has been delayed somewhat. Our excuses for this.
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EU / INTERNAL MARKET
Brussels 24/09/2001: Regulation on cross-border payments underway
As reported in the ESBA Weekly - Vol 3 - N 33 and N 31, the European
Commission has proposed in July 2001 a Regulation, following several
previous unsuccessful appeals by the EU institutions, according to which
charges for EU transactions should be the same for cross-border payments
as for those within a single Member State.
The Regulation is set to be adopted before the end of the year, meaning
that the proposal would have to be adopted by both Parliament and the
Council in the first reading under the co-decision procedure. The European
Parliament, supporting the Commission proposal fully, already issued a
draft opinion, set to be voted upon in the committee mid October and in
the plenary in November. Work also already started last week in a Council
working group on this proposal. It was also officially presented by the
Commission at the Internal Market, Consumers and Tourism Council of last
week. Independently from the proposed EC Regulation, the Council called on
the European Central Bank, in collaboration with the national banks, to
present a report if possible before December on the creation of a new
system of payments.
Finally, a major conference on the euro was organised on 24 September,
where also the proposed Regulation on cross-border payments was discussed
extensively by several parties, including the Commission, European
Parliament and the banking sector. According to certain Commission
officials the arguments of the banking sector against the proposed
Regulation are total non-arguments.
ESBA WILL PRESENT A POSITION PAPER ON THE MATTER IN ONE OF NEXT ISSUES OF
THE ESBA WEEKLY.
More info (copy/paste full link):
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/en/finances/ payment/conferen
ce/presentations.htm
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/en/finances/ payment/news/ind
ex.htm
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EU / EMU
Brussels 24/09/2001: Most SMEs simply change as from 01-01-2002
The latest Eurobarometer survey on SMEs and the euro, conducted in
July/August, concluded that over 20% of SMEs expects not be able to carry
out all its operations in euros as from 1 January 2002. Small businesses
that consider themselves ready as of now are still in the minority, and
the overall level of preparedness among small and medium-sized businesses
in Europe has improved only slightly. Over 56% have simply set 1 January
2002 as their changeover date.
The EC called on Member States to make a final effort to encourage small
businesses, and most particularly small shopkeepers, to get ready for the
deadline of 1 January 2002 and thus avoid any disruption in their
operations.
More info:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/euro/index.htm
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EU / TAXATION
Brussels 24/09/2001: Tobin tax will be analysed in Globalisation Report
Due to the packed agenda of the ECOFIN Council of last weekend, in
relation to the attacks on the USA, the planned discussion on the tobin
tax did not really take place and was simply send back to working group
level. The Council has asked the Economic and Financial Committee of the
Council to outline terms of reference for a report on globalisation issues
by the next ECOFIN Council (16 October) which the European Commission is
expected to present to the ECOFIN Council in December.
The Belgian Presidency Proposed Guidelines for a Commission Report
"Responses to the challenges of globalization" were refused at the
meeting. The Economic and Financial Committee is expected to take the
guidelines still as a deriving point for further discussions.
The guidelines include some of the following issues:
- analysis of the benefits of globalization;
- analysis of the impact of financial integration on volatility and the
increase in the frequency of financial crises;
- assessment of the initiatives already launched by the international
community to mitigate volatility in financial markets and reduce
speculation;
- assessment of the initiatives launched by the international community to
fight against the potential drawbacks of globalization.
- analyse advantages and disadvantages of the creation of a tax on
financial transactions (including an economic analysis of the Tobin Tax as
well as alternative proposals pursuing the same endeavour)
- look at the way to deepen and accelerate the currently on-going
initiatives on the fight against the potential drawbacks of globalization.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Brussels (B) 4&5/10/2001: 5th Annual Growthplus Conference: Growth despite
the Downturn; Theme: Best practice among high growth SMEs, Enhancing
entrepreneurship. Info: http://www.growthplus.org
Cardiff (UK) 11&12/10/2001: Forum on Top Class Business Support Services;
Theme: Enterprise Policy, MAP 2001-2005, SMEs, Entrepreneurship, Best
Procedure. Info: http://www.cardiff2001.org
Brussels (B) 15/10/2001: For a Europe of entrepreneurs, start-up financing
for SMEs; Theme: SMEs, Finance.
Info: http://www.sme-union.org/activities/sme15october.htm
Brussels (B) 17/10/2001 The SMEs approach to a knowledge-based society;
Theme: SMEs, Education. Info: http://www.growthplus.org
Louvain-la-Neuve (B) 24&25/10/2001: SMEs Finance; Theme: risk management,
role public/private sector, attitude banking sector, revision of Basle
agreement, obstacles to award loans, action plan on venture capital
Info: http://www.kubla2001.be/uk/colloque/colloque.htm
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The ESBA Weekly is now sent to an increasing amount of persons with a
direct interest in SMEs.
This bulletin is made in co-operation with LOGOS
(http://www.logos-eu.com).>
Page last updated: 18/04/2002 23:55:16