IP/05/693

Brussels,8 June 2005

“Tell us where to cut red-tape”, Commission asks business in online consultation

Reducing overregulation and bureaucracy contributes to growth and jobs. Unnecessary rules and red-tape stand in the way of sustainable growth, deter business investment or hinder job creation. This is why cutting red-tape on all levels is an integral part of the European Commission’s “Partnership for Jobs and Growth” (see IP/05/311 and MEMO/05/93). As a next concrete step to deliver on its promise, the European Commission has now launched a public on-line consultation to ask business how they feel the business environment in the EUcan be improved and administrative burden can be reduced. Through an online questionnaire, the Commission asks companies and other interested parties to identify particularly burdensome rules and make suggestions as to how best to simplify them. The consultation is open from the 1st June 2005 via the Commission's "Your Voice in Europe" Internet site at .The information gathered will be compiled and examined in the Commission’s “Red Tape Observatory” and the responsible Commission services.

Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said“We are keen to hear which rules need to be simplified because they stand in the way of sustainable growth, deter business investment or hinder job creation.This Commission has already come a long way to improve the regulatory environment. We have strengthened the consultation procedures, new legal proposalshave to be subject to a rigid impact assessment and we are screening existing proposals and laws for its effectiveness. But there is more concrete action to come in the next months.”

Commission Vice President Günter Verheugen added “Strong companies in a strong European economy will result in more jobs and more economic growth. This benefits all our citizens - and will enable us to maintain and increase Europe’s prosperity and our quality of life.”

How to respond to the consultation

The Commission would like to encourage all interested parties to take part in this consultation. Comments and views will be compiled and examined in the Commission’s “Red Tape Observatory” and individually analysed by the responsible Commission services. To make it as easy and quick as possible to respond, the Commission is using its Interactive Policy Making (IPM) tool for this exercise. IPM aims to improve governance by using the Internet for collecting and analysing responses.

A presentation and a link to the questionnairecan be found at:

The questionnaire can also be accessed via links on the web pages of the different Commission services.

Furthermore, the Commission is also promoting this consultation with civil society organisations through the Commission’s CONECCS database:

Annex: Questionnaire

Category
Do you represent a:(Compulsory)
CompanyNational NGOOther
National business organisationEuropean NGO
European business organisationPublic sector
What sector(s) do you operate in / do you represent?(Compulsory)
Accommodation, Cafes and RestaurantsAgriculture, Forestry and FishingCommunication Services
ConstructionCultural and Recreational ServicesEducation
Electricity, Gas and Water SupplyFinance and InsuranceHealth and Community Services
ManufacturingMiningPersonal and Other Services
Property and Business ServicesRetail TradeTransport and Storage
Wholesale Trade
What is the size of your company (number of employees)?
self–employed10-49250-499
1-950-249500+
How long has your business been in operation?
Intend to set up a business in the next 6 months2-5 years
Less than two years5 years or more
In which country/contries is your business or organisation based?(Compulsory)
AT - AustriaHU - HungarySI - Slovenia
BE - BelgiumIE - IrelandSK - SlovakRepublic
CY - CyprusIT - ItalyUK - United Kingdom
CZ - Czech RepublicLT - LithuaniaIS - Iceland
DE - GermanyLU - LuxembourgLI - Liechtenstein
DK - DenmarkLV - LatviaNO - Norway
EE - EstoniaMT - MaltaCH - Switzerland
EL - GreeceNL - NetherlandsBG - Bulgaria
ES - SpainPL - PolandTR - Turkey
FI - FinlandPT - PortugalRO - Romania
FR - FranceSE - SwedenOther

Do you sell/buy goods/services in other Member States?
YesNo
Rules / procedures
The following questions asks you to provide details on poor quality rules/procedures.
Please indicate which policy area is causing you problems:(Compulsory)
Retail/Distribution tradeProduction & marketing of goodsHealth & safety in the workplace
EmploymentTaxation & CustomsFinancial Services
Company lawPublic procurementEnvironment
Consumer protectionProvision of services Social security
EnergyResearch and InnovationTransport
AgricultureFisheriesOther, please specify

Do you know the source/origin of the rules/procedures?(Compulsory)
YesNo
Please identify the source of the rules/procedures:
European legislationNational rules/procedures
implementing EU legislationOther National/regional rules/procedures
Please identify where you experience problems with the rules/procedures:(Compulsory)
AT - AustriaBE - BelgiumCY - Cyprus
CZ - Czech RepublicDE - GermanyDK - Denmark
EE - EstoniaEL - GreeceES - Spain
FI - FinlandFR - FranceHU - Hungary
IE - IrelandIT - ItalyLT - Lithuania
LU - LuxembourgLV - LatviaMT - Malta
NL - NetherlandsPL - PolandPT - Portugal
SE - SwedenSI - SloveniaSK - SlovakRepublic
UK - United KingdomIS - IcelandLI - Liechtenstein
NO - NorwayOther:

If you can, please provide us with specific reference to the legislation which is causing problems

What are your problems?
Please tell us what is wrong with the rules/procedures which are causing you problems. For example, the problems could relate to the text of the legislation and/or how to implement it in a company/organisation. Equally, problems might arise from the way the legislation is enforced and/or possible compliance costs.
Is the problem caused by the way the rules/procedures
have been drafted
have been implemented
are enforced
Text of rules/procedures are
in conflict with other relevant legislations/procedures
Too difficult to understand
Too strict – leaves no discretion
Too detailed
Almost impossible/very difficult to comply with
Changed too often
Not specific enough – too general or vague
Not meeting the set objectives
Going beyond what is in EU legislation
Other problem, please specify

Implementation of the rule/procedure
There has not been enough time to prepare for the entry into force of new rules
Implementation is too burdensome (e.g. too much paper work)
Implementation not taken place at the appropriate governmental level
Lack of information to advise companies on the implementation of the legislation
Information on how to implement/comply with the legislation is unclear
National/EU administrative structure is not in place to facilitate implementation (e.g. forms/services/authorisations/designated offices not available yet)
It is difficult to contact the relevant authorities responsible for the legislation
Competent authorities do not respond adequately to requests for guidance
There are technical difficulties in implementing the rules expand on
Other problem, please specify

Enforcement
Enforcement is too strict – goes beyond what is really necessary
There are no effective sanctions for non-compliance
There are different enforcement authorities responsible for the legislation and they are not consistent in the way they enforce the rules
Enforcement is sometimes uneven or selective
The same legislation is enforced differently outside my home country
Other, please specify

Compliance costs
These are the costs you must meet in order to comply with the rules. These costs may be either one-off costs or recurrent costs or both.
Do the rules/procedures you are concerned about generate any disproportionate compliance costs?(Compulsory)
YesNo
Can you give an estimation of the total annual compliance costs (in your currency) created by the rule/procedure indicated in your previous answers? (Please state the currency and amount)

Are these one-off costs or recurrent costs?
One-off costsRecurrent costs
One-off costs:
Level of rates for permits and licenses
Costs to buy new equipment to comply with the rules/standards
Costs to buy-in specialist services
Costs to meet new personnel
Costs to monitor your compliance with the rules
Costs to retrain staff
Costs to undertake re-organisation to comply
Other, please specify:

Recurrent costs:
High frequency of reporting and notifying government authorities
Lengthy forms to fill in
Long/slow procedures associated with applications for permits, licenses and/or authorisations
Need to apply for additional permits, licenses and/or authorisations
Overlap of information requested by different government services
Requests for unnecessary/outdated information
Collection, provision and transmission of information e.g. on output, labour force, trade/exports
Other, please specify

What is the impact of the poor-quality rules/procedures? For example:(Compulsory)
It acts as a disincentive to starting up a business in your sector
It distorts competition
It reduces turnover
It discourages efforts to innovate
It deters expansion
It restricts employment creation
It causes uncertainty in the sector
It does not encourage compliance
Other, please specify:

Do you have suggestions on how the objectives of the rule/procedure can be reached without creating the problems you have identified?
YesNo
Please describe the suggestions you have:

Contact details
If you would like the Commission to be able to contact you to clarify your comments, please enter your contact details.
Any information you provide will not be made available to third parties.
This consultation is subject to a Data Privacy Statement.
Please enter the name of your organisation/contact person:

Please enter your email address:

Other rules/procedures causing you problems?
If there are other rules/procedures you are concerned about, please submit this questionnaire first and then restart the process.
Submit

1