EU Intelligence » Test an SME Tool!
Test an SME Tool!
ESBA actively seeks to raise awareness amongst its member organisations and SMEs about a series of on-line Tools, which are provided by the EU in order to help individual businesses. Two are listed here. ESBA is equally interested to discover how effective these tools are in practice. ESBA therefore welcomes your feedback using the comments forum below. This will be used to offer constructive advice to EU Officials and, of course, give credit when it is due!
Cutting Red-Tape
The European Commission has invited businesses - small and large - to suggest ideas on how to reduce the administrative burdens they face through a new online consultation. The website, available in all EU languages, is inspired by similar initiatives in Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
More information...
The Consultation is part of the Commission's Action Plan for Reducing Administrative Burdens in the EU, which seeks to cut red tape by 25% by 2012. More information on the Action Plan is available here. The website can be accessed here - ESBA looks forward to hearing what you think of it.
What is SOLVIT?
The SOLVIT network, established by the European Commission in 2002, is a free, on-line problem solving tool, through which EU Member States work together to solve problems between a business or a citizen and a national public authority, caused by the misapplication of Internal Market law.
Why use SOLVIT?
SOLVIT provides an informal approach to dealing with problems and should not be used in situations where legal proceedings are already underway. To date SOLVIT has primarily dealt with cases in which citizens and businesses have been denied their internal market rights by public authorities in the fields of:
Residence permits - Voting rights - Social security - Employment rights - Driving licences - Motor vehicle registration - Border controls - Market access for products - Market access for services - Establishment as self-employed - Public procurement - Taxation - Free movement of capital or payment
How does it work?
Following submission to a local SOLVIT Centre, individual cases are verified and entered into a database. Subsequently, they are forwarded to the SOLVIT Centre in the other country where the problem occurred. The two SOLVIT Centres then work together to try to solve the problem within 10 weeks.
More information...
Before and in order to submit a case to SOLVIT, please consult the Commission's Website, by clicking here. A full information brochure in all EU languages is available here. SOLVIT is desribed as 'effective problem solving in the internal market' - ESBA looks forward to hearing whether you agree.
To subscribe free to ESBA's online services for SMEs, including the comments message board, please register with ESBA using the button on the homepage. This process will only take a few moments and enable us to better serve you!
2 comments, latest comment posted 29-Sep-2007, 15:53:02
1. SOLVIT Feedback
Posted by paul on 30-Jan-2007, 13:48:37
AN example taken from the SOLVIT Website: “I think that organisations like SOLVIT are an example of the true European spirit which we as citizens all need to promote : for its efficiency, its pragmatism and for bringing European law and rights closer to the European citizen.”
2. Cutting Red Tape
Posted by paul on 29-Sep-2007, 15:53:02
A quote from Vice-President Verheugen, launching the Website: "I fully welcome the launch of this new website. The need to spend time fulfilling administrative requirements reduces the time available for entrepreneurial initiative. We need to consult and learn from those who are facing EU legislation in their daily work as they are best placed to highlight those administrative obligations which are the most time consuming and which could be simplified."
Page last updated: 31/01/2008 11:30:27 AM