This article was first published in the February 2012 edition of Accounting and Business Ireland magazine.
The EU Commission has presented a new approach to ensure that the EU responds better to the needs of small businesses. From now on, the European Commission will seek, wherever possible, to exempt micro-enterprises from EU legislation or introduce special regimes so as to minimise the regulatory burden on them. As of January 2012, the Commission will:
- Step up the search for exemptions or lighter requirements for micro- enterprises in existing and new EU legislation;
- Strengthen the processes by which micro-enterprises and other SMEs are consulted when reviewing existing EU regulation and preparing new EU laws; and,
- Produce annual scoreboards to evaluate the real benefits for businesses and to ensure a continuing focus on their needs and interests.