Brussels, 25/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Commission has published the results of a comparative analysis on business startups showing that procedures are still too complex despite some rationalisation and his puts potential entrepreneurs off. Areas where progress needs to be made include on-line registration tools, minimum capital requirements and the time it takes to set up a limited company. Complex and cumbersome registration procedures always hold back business start-ups. Big efforts are being made by some Member States (notably Finland, Italy, Greece and Portugal) and procedures for sole proprietorships are "reasonably satisfactory in most Member States", although substantial differences still exist in the time and cost entrepreneurs face in setting up a private limited company. Potential entrepreneurs also face the significant barrier of high minimum capital requirements. This all goes to show that no single administration has yet captured all the "potential gains of making information and communication technology (ICT) tools available for company registration purposes and a particular efforts is therefore required to bring about further regulatory reform combined with the full take-up of ICTs", notes the Commission.