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Barroso calls on less red tape for SMEs

20 September 2013 02:16 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Thursday called on member states to further cut red tape for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and improve the efficiency of public administration, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The Commission initiated measures that reduced red tap for EU business by over 32 billion euros (43 billion U.S. dollars) a year for the past five years, according to the president.

"We need to cooperate closely with member states to ensure that these savings bring real relief to business ... These measures are essential to put Europe back on track and generate more growth and more jobs," Barroso said.

The Commission intends to bring forward new proposals next month for make EU legislation better fit for purpose and further reduce the burden for companies, in particular SMEs.

The efforts to reduce the regulatory burden, including the administrative burden, are part of the Commission's smart regulation agenda that aims to ensure European laws benefit the people and business in the most efficient way.