Companies have been invited to take part in a consultation on the European Commission’s Small Business Act (SBA).
According to the Commission, the act will ‘put small and medium sized enterprises at the forefront of decision-making in the EU and to introduce concrete measures to unlock [their] growth potential’.
Included in the act will be measures to reduce red tape, aid firms to access public procurement and help with the challenges of globalisation and climate change.
Commenting on the launch of the public consultation, vice president Günter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry policy, said:
“The crucial role of SMEs and entrepreneurs for Europe's competitiveness has now been well recognised. With the SBA we aim at fully unlocking this immense potential.
“But for this we need to know about all the problems to solve, all the opportunities to seize. Every opinion matters and I call on everyone to contribute.”
The consultation will be open until the end of March and a public hearing on the act will take place on 6 February in Brussels.
More information on the consultation can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sme/index_en.htm
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2008