Brussels, 01/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - The Commission has requested that European SMEs identify the ten most bureaucratic Community legislative acts in terms of administrative procedures.
SMEs and the organisations representing their interests have been requested through a public consultation open from 1 October to 21 December to identify the legislative acts that create the greatest administrative burden in the following fields: services (cross-border service provision, recognition of occasional qualifications); customs (controls and administrative procedures, classification of goods); employment and social affairs (coordination and transfer of social rights, health and safety at work, working time, social security systems, free movement and posting of workers); product safety (standards, proof of compliance in the absence of a harmonised benchmark, compliance assessment procedures, EU declaration of compliance, EC labelling rules, information requirements, labelling and traceability, controls and inspections); the environment (fight against climate change, air quality and pollutants, biotechnology, the environment and biodiversity, chemical products, industrial environmental auditing, ecological label, waste processing and water); business framework (public procurement, company law, intellectual property and data protection); taxation (VAT, excise duties, indirect and direct taxation); consumer protection (safe shopping, e-commerce, food safety and animal health); energy and transport.
This consultation is part of the review of the European “Small Business Act” of 2011. In a press release, the Commission points out that “the implementation of the “Think Small First” principle remains the core principle of the EU's legislation for small businesses”. (EH/trans.fl)
For further information: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/public-consultation-new/index_en.htm