23/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - In a press release published on 23 October, the European Commission said that more than 400 regional and local authorities had competed in the national rounds of the European Enterprise Awards. 51 companies were selected by the twenty eight participating countries to compete in one of the six categories (Entrepreneurial Trailblazer Award, Enterprise Support Award, Red Tape Reduction Award, Investment in People Award, Responsible Entrepreneurship and the Jury's Grand Prize). This is the first stage in an annual competition to reward public initiatives to support entrepreneurship. The competition aims to raise awareness of partnership activities between local administrations and businesses, in particular SMEs. Winners will be announced at a ceremony organised by the European Commission, the Committee of the Regions and the Finnish Presidency in Brussels on 7 December 2006. For further information: http: //ec.europa/enterprise/entrepreneurship/smes/awards/index_en.htm (ol)