EU Intelligence » The ESBA Bulletin » 2002
Quote of the Week: ESBA wishes you a fruitful 2002
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ESBA WEEKLY of Friday 11 January 2002 - VOL 4 - N° 01
Headlines of WEEK 02:
- PRESIDENCY & EC: Spain and EC present priorities
- INTERNAL MARKET: Review product regulation via on-line consultation
- STATE AID: Commission publishes second scoreboard
- ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Candidate countries conclude own BEST report
- FINANCIAL SERVICES: New impetus for a renewed take-over Directive
- UPCOMING EVENTS
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EU / PRESIDENCY & EC
Madrid & Brussels 01/01/2002: Spain and EC present priorities
Together with the introduction of the euro coins and notes in the twelve eurozone countries, Spain took over the EU Presidency from Belgium and will hold it until the end of June 2002. Spain has indicated that its main priorities will be the fight against terrorism, the introduction of the euro, continuing economic and social reforms (Lisbon process), fulfilling the enlargement schedule, developing a European foreign and defence policy, and the debate about the future of Europe. The key official event for SMEs will be the European summit in Barcelona (March 2002) which should review the progress made on the economic reform agenda set out at the Lisbon Summit two years ago.
Besides several horizontal objectives (in the field of education, social cohesion and employment), some specific EU initiatives and actions in sectors such as transport, communications, energy and financial services are mentioned in the Spanish Presidency work programme. However, no reference is being made to the role and importance of SMEs in achieving and managing competitiveness, full employment and social cohesion in Europe, nor to their many specific problems (administrative burdens, access to finance, …) which need to be addressed urgently as well if EU leaders want to make the Lisbon strategy a real success (e.g. by transforming the SME Charter into real actions).
Also the European Commission recently outlined its challenges for 2002. The main priorities are: safety and security (border controls, terrorism, transport, …), the euro (financial services, take-over bids, consumer policy, …), sustainable development (review agriculture and fisheries policies, RTD, health and safety at work; 6th environmental action programme, food safety, …), new European governance (better regulation and regulatory simplification anti-trust competition policy; …), enlargement, Mediterranean, and development.
More info:
http://www.ue2002.es
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/cnc/2001/com2001_0620en01.pdf
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EU / INTERNAL MARKET
Brussels 07/01/2002: EC reviews product regulation via on-line consultation
In order to further enhance the safety and performance of industrial products while ensuring their free circulation within the single market, the European Commission has decided to review via an on-line questionnaire the so-called "New Approach" to technical standardisation, in place since 1985. This approach legislates only the essential requirements, and leaves it up to entrepreneurs whether they apply defined harmonised standards (meeting these requirements). Such standards are shaped by consensus among all parties concerned in European standardisation bodies.
The review aims to clarify Europe's regulatory principles for product safety and ensure that they are applied more consistently across the EU, inter alia by proposing to step up cross-border administrative co-operation. The questionnaire identifies the conformity assessment, designation and surveillance of certification bodies and enforcement measures as two key aspects that could possibly require strengthening. Stakeholder input will be used to shape an EC Communication that will set out proposals for improvements to the existing system. The consultation ends on 31 March 2002.
More info and consultation
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/consultations/list.htm
http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/newapproach/index.htm
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EU / STATE AID
Brussels 07/01/2002: Commission publishes second scoreboard
The second scoreboard on state aid shows a decrease in state-aid levels in eleven Member States. The new scoreboard is comparable to the first scoreboard in terms of content (see also ESBA Weekly - Vol 3 - N 32) although it seeks to further increase the transparency of aid awards in the EU as well as encourage Member States further to re-evaluate their national aid policies.
Aside a general overview of the situation in relation to Member states' GDP it also examines Member States' efforts at re-directing aid away from specific industry sectors to these more horizontal objectives. In fact, some 12 Member States redirected to some extend their aid towards horizontal objectives, which include safeguarding the environment, energy saving and support to SMEs as well as R&D.
The Stockholm European Council in 2000 has asked Member States to demonstrate a downward trend of State aid in relation to GDP by 2003 and to redirect aid to horizontal objectives. The scoreboard should contribute to further reach these objectives.
The total level of EU state aid was still more than 79 billion euro in 1999. It is undeniable that the cumulative effect of this amount has a considerable distortive effect on competition in the Internal Market, according to the Commission.
Therefore Member States are urged to undertake action which should be aimed at reviewing national aid policies, assessing whether the grant of State aid is always the most appropriate instrument to correct certain market failures and evaluating the effectiveness of the aid that is awarded and concentrate public support measures in areas where market failure has clearly been identified.
More info:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/competition/state_aid/scoreboard
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EU / ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Brussels 10/01/2002: Candidate countries conclude own BEST report
Following the Business Environment Simplification Task Force (BEST Task Force) Report on ways of improving the business environment (1998), the EC Action Plan to Promote Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness (1999) and the first report on the implementation of the measures in the Action Plan (2000), all 13 candidate countries (CCs) participated over 2001 in their own process of drafting a similar report that has been called "CC BEST".
The areas covered by the CC BEST report are (similar to EC Action Plan): education and training for an entrepreneurial society, access to finance, access to research and innovation and better use of patents by SMEs, improving the visibility of support services, improving the public administration, and improving employment and working conditions.
Especially access to finance is a problem in almost all CCs countries, especially for SMEs. The report also stresses the need for more progress in the creation of an innovation culture among enterprises and labour market flexibility. Most CCs seem aware of the need to streamline procedures and reduce as much as possible the administrative burdens for enterprises, in particular new and fast growing companies'. Most real improvements were found in the areas of education, public administration and support services for enterprises.
The report looks at about 200 entrepreneurship and competitiveness-promoting measures taken by the candidate countries' authorities, business communities and other bodies such as universities, research and technology centres, and regional development agencies.
Also a web site (directory) has been launched to publish the results in a more accessible and user-friendly way (also similar to the EU directory published earlier this year - see ESBA Weekly - Vol 3 - N 34).
The process is seen as an opportunity for CCs to further promote their business environment agenda and to gather information about best practice in other CCs and benchmark themselves against the EU Member States.
More info:
CC BEST Report Vol. I:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/enterprise_policy/enlargement/cc-best_directory/documents/sec_2001_2054_en.pdf
CC BEST Report Vol. II:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/enterprise_policy/enlargement/cc-best_directory/documents/sec_2001_2054_bis_en.pdf
CEEC Directory:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/enterprise_policy/enlargement/cc-best_directory/index.htm
EU Directory:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/enterprise_policy/best-directory/index.htm
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EU / FINANCIAL SERVICES
Brussels 10/01/2002: New impetus for a renewed take-over Directive
Subsequent to the first report of a High Level Group of company law experts, set-up by the European Commission in September 2001 following the European Parliament's rejection of the proposed take-over Directive in July 2001, the EC is planning to submit a revised proposal for a Directive on take-over bids by April 2002.
The preliminary recommendations of the experts are based on two main principles:
- the ultimate decision should lie with the shareholders, not with the board
- there needs to be a proportionality between risk-bearing capital and control
The recommendations include amongst many others proposals to prevent governments from blocking company take-overs and measures to protect minority shareholders.
More info:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/en/company/company/news/HLG-report-TOB-en.pdf
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Brussels (B) 21-22/01/2002: Benchmarking local and regional strategies for assisting SMEs to GoDigital; Theme: SMEs, E-commerce, banchmarking.
More info: http://www.cor.eu.int/corz203.htm
Brussels (B) 30/01/2002: From Lisbon to Barcelona: towards a more competitive Europe; Theme: Lisbon, competitiveness, SMEs. More info:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/events/competitiveness_2002/index.htm
Brussels (B) 31/01/2002: Regulatory Impact Analysis - Better regulation in the EU; Theme: Regulation. More info: Lisbon, SMEs. More info: info@theepc.be
Brussels (B) 20/02/2002: A showcase of British enterprise; Theme: Lisbon, SMEs. More info: info@smallbusinesseurope.org
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Page last updated: 19/01/2002 11:35:17 AM