Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-05-04-Speech-2-176"

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"en.20040504.8.2-176"2
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"Mr President, the fact that we are able to talk today in terms of a European economic and social model is something we owe above all to the self-employed and to microfirms. Six years ago, in 1997, Eurostat’s figures told us that the Europe of the Fifteen was home to 18 802 423 businesses, 18 million of which were microfirms. Of these 18 million, half consisted of one person working alone, whilst the other half – some 8.5-9 million – consisted of businesses employing between one and nine persons. It follows that the importance of these microfirms must be borne in mind by those who will be legislating for the Europe of the future, and all the more so on a day when we are celebrating enlargement by the accession of new Member States. Legislation must be adapted to them, must take account of their specific characteristics, of the small size of such microfirms and we must, each and every one of us, consider these self-employed workers, these members of the liberal professions, these traders, these artisans, artists, and farmers as all being brave people, who maintain Europe’s human face through the personal services that they provide, and that is important in an increasingly globalised and ever more high-tech Europe. I also invite all those who will be sharing in the drafting of future European legislation to adapt it to the specific needs of small enterprises whose energies must be devoted to productivity. Let every one of them bear in mind that no business started out big and that today’s start-ups are destined to be the medium-sized and big businesses of tomorrow. It is economic wealth that makes it possible for this Europe that is so dear to us to provide a high standard of social protection. It is thus that we will have successful businesses and also be able to guarantee the social Europe."@en1

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