Brussels, 09/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Commission presented the Ecofin Council with a progress report on the dossier concerning the administrative burden on companies. During the meeting, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands stressed that the results should reach the Council in good time in order to allow it to deal with the matter in September. The Commission pointed out that it would do what is necessary to move forward from next Wednesday, and Enterprise and Industry Commissioner Günter Verheugen will present the College of Commissioners with a communication on how to better legislate within the EU (see p.8). More generally, this package concerns simplification of the legislation and less red tape, but the question of the administrative burden on enterprise will also be discussed. At this stage, the joint methodology has not yet been determined and the pilot projects, which should normally start in 2005, have not been formally identified - and neither have the sectors and the Member States concerned. In October 2004, the Commission had been invited by the finance ministers to present guidelines for deciding what methodological variant should be used (EUROPE of 22d October).