Quote of the Week: "When buying and selling are controlled by legislation,
the first things to be bought and sold are legislators." - P. J. O'Rourke
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ESBA WEEKLY of Friday 06 July 2001 - VOL 3 - N° 30
Headlines of WEEK 27:
- GENERAL: Belgium takes over EU Presidency
- IP: WIPO SMEs Division launches own SME website
- SMEs: EP Liberals demand urgent reforms in favour of SMEs
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EU / GENERAL
Brussels 01/07/2001: Belgium takes over EU Presidency
The top priorities of the Belgium's Presidency are: social policy
(including quality of work), sustainable development, asylum and
immigration, enlargement, taxation and the debate over the future of the
EU.
ALTHOUGH THE PRACTICAL WORKING PROGRAMME OF THE BELGIAN PRESIDENCY REFERS
TO SMES ("A special policy for SMEs, consisting of the following three key
factors: actual implementation of the European Charter for Small
Businesses, access to funding, and improved rules governing the awarding
of public contracts".) AND WHEREAS THE WORK PLAN OF THE INDUSTRY COUNCIL
ARGUES THAT IT WILL FOCUS ON SMES AND ITS SPECIFIC CONCERNS (state aid,
access to finance, the time has come to take concrete actions), ESBA
REGRETS THAT THERE IS NO REFERENCE AT ALL TO SMES NOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN
THE PRIORITY NOTES OF THE PRESIDENCY. IF THE EU WANTS TO REACH ITS
AMBITIOUS GOALS AS SET IN LISBON, IT WILL HAVE TO KEEP SMES AND
ENTREPRENEURSHIP ON THE POLITICAL AGENDA AS A TOP PRIORITY AND IMPLEMENT
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE ALL COMMITMENTS MADE OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS TO FOSTER
ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND A BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT PROSPEROUS TO ALL ENTERPRISES,
ESPECIALLY TO SMES.
More info:
General site: http://www.eu2001.be
Priorities: http://www.eu2001.be/Images/pdf/Priorit_Eng.PDF
Policy issues (copy/paste full link):
http://www.eu2001.be/Main/Frameset.asp?reference=01-01&lang=en&sess=863711
91&
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WIPO / INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Geneva 01/07/2001: WIPO SMEs Division launches own SME website
The SMEs Division of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO),
established in Autumn 2000, launched its own website with information on
Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), focusing on the specific needs and
concerns of SMEs, presented from an entrepreneur's/SMEs perspective.
ESBA recalls that the Milan Forum on IPRs and SMEs, organised earlier this
year, adopted an action plan stating that:
"- SMEs, through adequate and effective management and commercialisation
of intellectual property (IP), can significantly enhance their
competitiveness, export opportunities, market share and their overall
market value;
- SMEs, in particular in developing and least-developed countries, often
do not sufficiently exploit the potential of the IP system for increasing
their competitiveness, innovative capacity and market access; and
- The underutilization of the IP system may be largely due to lack of
information on how to acquire and manage IP assets and technological
information in an effective manner, absence or shortage of IP related
services in SME support institutions, as well as the perception that the
IP system is complex, time-consuming and expensive, making it difficult
for SMEs to acquire, maintain, enforce and use their IP rights effectively
in trade whether domestically and internationally".
THEREFORE, ESBA WELCOMES THE LATEST WIPO INITIATIVE AND CALLS ON ALL ITS
MEMBERS ORGANISATIONS TO PROMOTE THE WEBSITE EFFECTIVELY AMONG ALL
ENTREPRENEURS. BESIDES APPROPRIATE INFORMATION FOR SMEs, ESBA CALLS FOR
EFFORTS TO REDUCE THE COSTS OF ACQUISITION, MAINTENANCE, AND ENFORCEMENT
OF IP RIGHTS WHILE MAINTAINING QUALITY AND RELIABILITY OF RIGHTS.
More info: http://www.wipo.int/sme/en/
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EU / SMEs
Brussels 04/07/2001: EP Liberals demand urgent reforms in favour of SMEs
The policy paper shows the clear vision of a dynamic and enterprising
Europe for SMEs of the European Parliament's Liberal Group (ELDR). The
ELDR calls on the urgent need to take better care of people with ideas and
be more supportive of entrepreneurship and innovation.
The key propositions of the policy paper are:
- a legally binding European charter for small enterprises;
- a total review of the acquis from an SME-friendly perspective;
- business impact assessments before legislation by an independent
agency; - lower the overall tax burden in Europe;
- no VAT on E-commerce until 2005;
- promotion of entrepreneurship in all of society;
- all Member States should have "one-stop-shop desks";
- procedures for setting up a company must be simplified and costs cut;
- cross- border business of SMEs should be much more facilitated
- reversed burden of proof for companies intending to export;
- venture capital should be promoted and facilitated;
- state aide to be further reduced;
- make public procurement more accessible for SMEs;
- increased SME-participation in research programmes; and
- the Commission's SLIM initiative should be extended
Having regarded ELDR's vision on a dynamic and enterprising Europe for
SMEs, ESBA expresses its warm welcome for the initiative. ESBA especially
welcomes the following proposals: to make the European Charter for small
enterprises legally binding, to undertake BIAs before new legislation is
passed, by a special independent agency (including independent
entrepreneurs !), to reduce the overall tax burden, and not to charge VAT
on E-commerce for the moment (provided that EU service providers will be
treated equally compared to non-EU service providers).
The relevant issues at stake are known to all of us. It is time to move
forward urgently and to take concrete steps to create a dynamic and
enterprising Europe for SMEs on the highest political level.
More info: http://eld.europarl.eu.int/docs/2001-STAFF-0214-EN.pdf
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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 cooperation with LOGOS (http://www.logos-eu.com).
