The Member States need more time to finalise their negotiating position with the European Parliament on the fourth ‘omnibus’ regulatory simplification text. It proposes, among other things, to extend the specific treatment of SMEs to ‘small mid-caps’ for eight European legislations (see EUROPE 13645/2).
The permanent representatives of the Member States to the EU (Coreper) discussed the issue at length on Wednesday 17 September. There is still disagreement over the size of companies that should be considered ‘mid-caps’. The Commission has proposed a threshold of 750 employees and a net turnover of more than €150 million. But several Member States would like to raise it even further, so that as many companies as possible can benefit from the flexibilities hitherto reserved for SMEs.
The Danish Presidency of the EU Council intends to consult the Member States over the next few days with a view to submitting a compromise proposal to Coreper on Wednesday 24 September, with the aim of reaching a political agreement in principle as quickly as possible. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)