Press Release: Good progress in cutting red tape: Lending a hand to businesses

The Commission's efforts to cut unnecessary administrative burdens are progressing well, making the lives of businesses easier, in particular small and medium sized enterprises, and strengthening European competitiveness. The Commission has already tabled proposals with a reduction potential well above the target of 25% and is preparing new proposals bringing the total reduction potential to almost 33% or €40.7 bn. That is the key message of the update about the implementation of the Action Programme for Reducing Administrative Burdens in the EU, published on the eve of the December 2010 Competitiveness Council. Commission President José Manuel Barroso discussed this progress on 7 December 2010 with the Chairman of the High-Level Group of Independent Stakeholders on Administrative Burdens, Dr Edmund Stoiber. The Group advises and assists the Commission on administrative burden reduction and will produce a report on best practice in Member States by the end of 2011.

European Commission: Memo/10/654: Reducing administrative burdens – context and overview of achievements and examples http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/10/654&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

European Commission: Speech/10/732: Press statement by President Barroso following his meeting with Mr Edmund Stoiber, Chairman of the High-Level Group of Independent Stakeholders on Administrative Burdens http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/10/732&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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