Quote of the Week: Everything should be as simple as possible, but not
simpler - Oscar Wilde
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ESBA WEEKLY of Friday 31 August 2001 - VOL 3 - N° 35
Headlines of WEEK 35:
- HEALTH & SAFETY: Input for the 2002 H&S strategy
- FINANCE: Overview on EIF's SMEs support
- TAX: Tobin tax on the agenda again
- EMU: Euro info
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EU / HEALTH & SAFETY
Bilbao 14/08/2001: Input for the 2002 H&S strategy
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (OSHA) launched a web
site with EU documents of relevance to the future EU Strategy for which
the European Commission will be producing a Communication at the beginning
of 2002. More info: http://europe.osha.eu.int/systems/strategies/future/
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EU / FINANCE
Luxemburg 23/08/2001: Overview on EIF's SMEs support
The European Investment Fund (EIF), injected a total of 697 million euro
into Europe's SME sector during 2000, according to the EIF's annual report
(603 million euro in loans that did not meet commercial lending criteria,
and 94 million euro towards traditional start-up funding for small
high-tech businesses). The EIF does not invest directly in small
businesses, but rather channels its money to them via established venture
capital funds and credit institutions in all EU countries. More info (the
annual report 2000 will be published online in a few weeks):
http://www.eif.org/publications/default.htm
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EU / EURO
Brussels & Frankfurt 30/08/2001: Euro info
The European Central Bank (ECB) presented the exact (final) design of the
new euro notes, as they will enter circulation as from 1 January 2002, and
kicked off a large EU-wide information and publicity campaign prepare
citizens of the 12 euro-zone countries for using the common currency's
notes and coins. The European Commission has launched another web site
focusing especially on the necessary euro preparations of SMEs. More info:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/euro/index.htm
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EU / TAX
Brussels 29/08/2001: Tobin tax on the agenda again
The discussion over the Tobin tax has gained new impetus again following
French prime minister Lionel Jospin announcement for a French initiative
for a Tobin tax. It is the first time that a leader from a large
industrial nation accepts the idea of a tax on cross-border capital
movements as part of government policy. The Belgian presidency had already
put the Tobin tax on the agenda of the meeting of economy and finance
ministers (22 September), although the idea is unlikely to be welcomed by
(many) other EU Member States. The Belgian Presidency will probably ask
the European Commission to start assessing the feasibility of the Tobin
tax.
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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).
