Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2014-04-14-Speech-1-199-000"
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"en.20140414.21.1-199-000"2
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"Madam President, first of all I would like to thank all the shadow rapporteurs for their constructive work on my report and I would also like to welcome this evening’s joint debate, which is in conjunction with the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy resolution on the Commission Top Ten initiative, which I think really complements my report.
I believe all of us here can agree that in order to address unemployment levels in Europe we need to look at new, innovative ways in which the EU can contribute to creating an environment that supports businesses and gives them confidence to invest and grow. This, of course, should not come at the expense of workers’ health and safety and that is something I would like to clarify before we go any further in this debate. My ambition is not to reduce the protection of workers or their rights, but it is to reduce the red tape. By making it simpler and easier to understand and implement regulations, we increase compliance and safety. We must create the right regulatory environment, one that will protect workers but at the same time will allow businesses to grow, innovate and ultimately create jobs here in Europe.
Already we have seen a move in the right direction. Initially with the Small Businesses Act and, more recently, the ‘think small first’ principle, the SME test, the REFIT programme and the Top Ten initiative, which has identified the top ten most burdensome EU laws for SMEs.
While acknowledging the broad spectrum of political views on some of the issues addressed in this report, I think it is fair to say that we have managed to strike a good balance. We have reached agreement on a number of issues, including how the EU and Member States can improve access to finance, promote entrepreneurship and develop better regulation. The roots of this report are based on the fact that SMEs and micro-enterprises currently provide 90 million jobs in the private sector in the EU.
And I would like to pay tribute to an organisation which speaks on behalf of SMEs. It is the Federation of Small Businesses. It is the UK’s leading business organisation. I have here their call to European politicians in their manifesto for the elections coming up. I could not have put it better than they have.
‘Entrepreneurship is at the heart of a competitive Europe in a world of fast growing economies. It is exciting, inspiring and challenging to set up your own business and to contribute to the economy. Therefore, the European institutions and the Member States must establish a culture of entrepreneurship for businesses to start up, survive and grow while being able to remain competitive in today’s global markets.’
‘It ... means investing in skills and making sure employment and social law is flexible, manageable and created with small businesses in mind, while ensuring a level playing field across the EU. Small businesses create 85 per cent of all new jobs in Europe and employ two-thirds of the workforce. Applying the “Think Small First” principle to labour market policies is therefore essential.’
So my report on creating a hospitable environment for business covers a number of areas. The cost and complexity of starting up a business must be reduced. Skills: to compete and succeed globally, we need a workforce with the skills that the market needs. Entrepreneurship: it is troubling that the number of EU citizens who want to be self-employed has dropped from 45% to 37% in the last three years. We must recognise that some businesses fail, but those with the courage and vision to have started them have learned from the experience and should not be written off. The report covers demographics, market access, finance, labour markets, SMEs and micro-enterprises and better regulation.
Along with 84 other MEPs I have tabled a plenary amendment, which I really hope you can all support. Amendment 2 highlights the recent trend of companies towards returning production and services to Europe and the opportunities this brings for job creation. It is estimated that 200 000 jobs could be created in the next few years as companies return activities to the UK and other parts of Europe. Improved quality control and shorter lead times make the case for reshoring even stronger. I believe that our economies have a unique opportunity to accelerate this trend of reshoring jobs and that Member States, together with the Commission, must take concrete steps to help businesses capitalise. I hope that colleagues will support this report as an important step forward to creating a more hospitable environment for job creation in Europe and I look forward to the debate ahead."@en1
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