Quote of the Week: Laws are like sausages. It is better not to see them
being made - Otto von Bismarck
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ESBA WEEKLY of Friday 05 October 2001 - VOL 3 - N° 40
Headlines of WEEK 40:
- INNOVATION: EU improves but still lags behind US and Japan
- INTERNAL MARKET: Progress for European standardisation
- TRADE: web site on trade-facilitation agreements with CEECs
- ENTERPRISE: Enterprise Europe magazine issue n. 5 available
- INTERNAL MARKET: Barriers to cross-border sales promotions to be lifted?
- CONSUMER PROTECTION: B2C trading practices reviewed
- UPCOMING EVENTS
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EU / INNOVATION
Brussels 01/10/2001: EU improves but still lags behind US and Japan
Although all Member States improved their innovation performance in
general, and often single Member States are even world leaders in certain
areas, the EU as a whole still lags behind the US and Japan. The EU is
lagging behind especially in the areas of business R&D and high-tech
patenting activity. Finland and Denmark continue their already strong
performance, Greece and Spain are rapidly catching up, and the four
largest EU economies are improving, but at rates below the EU average.
These are the main conclusions of the 2001 European Innovation Scoreboard,
published by the European Commission (as requested by the Lisbon European
Council of March 2000), indicating strengths and weaknesses in the
innovative capacity of each EU Member State, and the EU as a whole.
The European Innovation Scoreboard measures national performance for in
total 17 different indicators (for 10 indicators, comparable figures are
available for the United States and for Japan) covering human resources,
knowledge creation and application, and innovation finance (e.g. % of SMEs
that develop product or process innovations themselves or in cooperation
with other firms). The Scoreboard serves to raise awareness of innovation
performance differences and should thereby promote cooperation and mutual
learning (good practice) between Member States.
The European Commission recommends Member States to focus in the future
especially on:
- investing in education and training;
- improving performances in the high-tech sectors;
- promoting entrepreneurship;
- helping step up business R&D; and
- promoting the use of new technologies in all sectors of the economy.
Innovation is an important determinant of productivity and economic
growth. Promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in Europe are therefore
vital to boost our competitiveness. The Innovation Scoreboard should
therefore also be seen as part of a wider benchmarking exercise on
enterprise and entrepreneurship. Pro-innovation policies are particularly
important for SMEs as most new cutting-edge companies start life as
relatively modest operations.
More info:
http://trendchart.cordis.lu/Scoreboard/scoreboard.htm (recommended !)
http://www.cordis.lu/innovation-smes/scoreboard/home.html
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EU / INTERNAL MARKET
Brussels 02/10/2001: Progress for European standardisation
The European Commission recently issued a report on the progress of
standardisation of products and industrial processes in the Single Market.
The report indicates that substantial progress has been made since 1999:
over 2600 common standards were agreed over the past 18 months. This can
be seen as a major achievement as standardisation is done by European
standards bodies (CEN, CENELEC and ETSI), based on a voluntary consensus
process amongst different economic actors (industry, SMEs, consumers,
workers, public authorities, etc.). The report notably also stresses that
on-line methods of work to produce standards have significantly improved
the work of experts. It is now quicker to produce a standard, although it
still requires 18 months on average. For small businesses, the report
states that the Commission recently launched a call for tender with the
aim of offering a stable service to SMEs in an effort to promote their
position in European standardisation.
European standards bodies have the task of drawing up the technical
specifications (referred to as harmonised standards) meeting the essential
requirements as defined by EC directives (e.g. protection of health and
safety, that goods must meet when they are placed on the market).
Compliance with harmonised standards provides presumption of conformity to
the corresponding essential requirements of the EC directives (compliance
is voluntary, as manufacturers are free to choose any other technical
solution that provides compliance with the essential requirements). Common
EU standards make it easier to do business, because goods manufactured to
them must comply with single market directives, and so can be marketed
anywhere in the EU.
Another EC report addressed the issue of international standards as more
and more EU standards are prepared in such a way that they seek to
facilitate not only access to the Single Market but also to markets abroad
by seeking compliance with international standards. Internationally traded
goods require international standards, whenever possible according the
report, as they could further facilitate trade in goods, increase market
access and promote and disseminate new technologies. The report sets out
certain principles which should be respected when agreeing such
international standards.
For more information :
http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/standards_policy/index.htm
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EU / TRADE
Brussels 02/10/2001: web site on trade-facilitation agreements with CEECs
The European Commission has published relevant information on its web site
concerning the negotiations with all Central and Eastern European
Countries (CEECs) on trade facilitation. The pages will be updated as
negotiations with candidate countries proceed. ESBA has already reported
on the matter extensively in previous issues (see ESBA Weekly - Vol 3 - N
13 & 33). The web site provides:
- an overview;
- information on the state of play in the negotiations;
- the full text of those agreements already in force; and
- lists of conformity assessment bodies.
Agreements with Hungary and the Czech Republic have already been concluded
and are in force since 1 June 2001, and 1 July 2001 respectively.
Negotiations are also at different stages with Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia,
Slovakia and Slovenia.
More info:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/regulation/pecas/pecas.htm
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EU / ENTERPRISE
Brussels 02/10/2001: Enterprise Europe magazine issue n. 5 available
The European Commission, DG Enterprise, issued a new issue of the
Enterprise Europe magazine, including the following main articles:
- Sustainable Development (within Enterprise policy);
- Benchmarking and best practices via the BEST procedure;
- Database on measures taken by EU to promote entrepreneurship and
competitiveness;
- Euro and SME preparations;
- Access to finance;
- European innovation scoreboard
- Corporate Social Responsibility;
- Standardisation;
- Trade facilitation with CEECs;
- Tourism; and
- Business Impact Assessments.
More info (copy/paste full link):
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/library/enterprise-europe/issue5/
index_en.htm
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EU / INTERNAL MARKET
Brussels 03/10/2001: Barriers to cross-border sales promotions to be
lifted ?
The Commission has proposed a Regulation on sales promotions (to be
adopted under the co-decision procedure), abolishing certain national
restrictions on a series of general sales promotion practices (e.g. ban on
sales below cost or free samples, and limits on sales discounts), and
harmonising legislation in the EU on the protection of consumers (e.g.
specific labelling and information requirements), aiming to remove
barriers to cross-border sales promotions. The proposed Regulation,
deriving from the 1996 Green Paper on Commercial Communications in the
Internal Market, complements the Commission's Green Paper on Consumer
Protection (see next article).
The Regulation also envisages making all residual national restrictions
subject to the principal of mutual recognition, allowing an operator
lawfully established in a Member State to offer the service or sales
promotion in the other Member States as well, provided it has been
declared legal in its own Member State. Member States could thus maintain
some existing sectoral restrictions (not general bans) but not apply them
to sales promotions from other Member States.
The draft Regulation should facilitate free movement in the internal
market and will establish a level playing field for European businesses,
especially innovative and international orientated SMEs. However, it will
also impact SMEs on their local markets. These concerns have also to be
taken into account. As this issue can have a high impact on SMEs from all
over Europe (positive and negative), ESBA calls for an open hearing on
this draft Regulation.
More info:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/comcom/unfair/reg-en.pdf
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EU / CONSUMER PROTECTION
Brussels 03/10/2001: Business-to-Consumer trading practices reviewed
Initially planned for April (see ESBA WEEKLY - Vol 3 - N 8), the EC
finally presented a Green Paper on Consumer Protection, suggesting rules
on how businesses should conduct when trading with consumers, and how
these rules should be enforced.
As the planned paper was highly disputed within the EC and among
businesses, a Green Paper has finally been proposed offering different
options to proceed:
- further harmonisation and extending the current package of directives
(e.g. directives covering advertising, market practices, payment and
after-sales services);
- complementing specific legislative measures with a EU framework
directive, establishing EU-wide principles, as well as EU-wide
self-regulation and co-regulation.
An eventually proposed framework directive would not include rules
concerning health and safety, decency, social policy aspects, or national
contract law (dealt with already in the Green Paper on contract law, ESBA
WEEKLY - Vol 3 - N 32).
The concepts of "fair commercial practices" or "misleading and deceptive
practices" will be a major issue of debate of an eventual framework
Directive to ensure good practice.
The consultation is open until 15 January 2002. The Commission intends to
organise a public hearing and an intensive consultation process with
relevant stakeholders on this Green Paper.
More info (copy/paste full link):
http://www.europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt&do
c=MEMO/01/307|0|RAPID&lg=EN
http://europa.eu.int/comm/consumers/policy/developments/fair_comm_pract/fa
ir_comm_greenpap_en.pdf
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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) 16/10/2001: Interactive Policy Making - Listen and Respond to
People's Needs; Theme: Consultation, Internal Market. Info:
secretariat@esba-europe.org
Brussels (B) 17/10/2001 The SMEs approach to a knowledge-based society;
Theme: SMEs, Education.
Info: http://www.sme-union.org/activities/sme17october.htm
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
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