MEMO/08/152
Brussels, 10 March 2008
European Commission proposals for fast track
administrative burden reductions in 2008
The European Commission has today presented its
list of eleven new fast track actions to reduce administrative burdens for
companies, in order to enhance economic growth. They are the second package of
such fast track actions and form part of the overall programme to reduce the
administrative burdens for entrepreneurs, by 25 percent in 2012. These immediate
measures are likely to generate significant benefits of around 1 Billion Euro
through technical changes in existing rules (e.g. reporting
obligations).
Before finalising the list of 2008 Fast Track Actions, the Commission has
sought the opinion of the newly established High Level Group of Independent
Stakeholders on Administrative Burdens. The opinion adopted on 26 February
2008 and the comments received from other sources expressed general support for
the 2008 fast track action package.
Among the new proposals for quickly simplifying legislation hampering the
success of businesses are:
- Fewer translations when opening branches in other Member States: the
need to have translations certified by several Member States will no longer be
required when the same language is practiced. The proposal contributes to
lowering the cost of establishing new branches of companies and thereby gives a
very concrete positive signal to European businesses.
- The requirement for companies to explain in the accounts formation
expenses and to break down the net turnover into categories of activity and
geographical markets are clearly excessive for Small and Medium Sized
Enterprises (SMEs) and should therefore be abolished for them.
- Facilitating the market introduction of new radio and telecommunication
equipment: Producers should notify new products for all Member States only
once. This will reduce the costs caused by the existence of different rules in
the Member States.
- Reduce paperwork for companies placing medicines on the EU market.
Coping with different rules in the Member States mobilises more than 60% of the
resources of companies’ regulatory departments. This simplification will
make it easier to change rules for packaging or the production process without
jeopardizing patient’s safety.
- Reducing the statistical reporting duties of SMEs (Intrastat): The
Commission intends to further reduce the number of companies which have to
report on intra-community trade.
- Differences in definitions for “volatile organic
compounds” create some confusion and complicate compliance. Aligning
different definitions of the same subject will reduce paper work of
stakeholders.
- Batteries lawfully placed on the market before 26 September 2008
will not have to be withdrawn for new labelling . A possible
misunderstanding will be clarified.
- Reducing the paperwork for operators reprocessing agricultural starch
products.
- Duty to pay double to disclose the business information abolished:
Companies have to disclose the same details in electronically available
commercial registers and in the official journal/national gazette. In the future
they will only pay once.
It is already clear that the measures
envisaged for batteries, disclosure of business information and statistical
reporting are very significant. The latter one alone would exempt 190 000
companies from report on intra-EU trade. The total benefits of these measures is
estimated as at least 1 Billion Euro.
Ten fast track actions were tabled in 2007, with estimated savings of
€ 1,3 billion for EU businesses. 5 of the 10 actions have been
formally adopted, thereby cutting administrative burdens by
approximately € 500 million (see MEMO/08/63).
The European Parliament and the Council are likely to adopt the remaining
proposals in the first part of 2008.
Full list of proposals
Legislation concerned
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Short description of the envisaged measure
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Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1722/93 of 30 June 1993 laying down detailed
rules for the application of Council Regulations (EEC) No 1766/92 and (EEC) No
1418/76 concerning production refunds in the cereals and rice sectors
respectively
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Summary Simplification of control procedures on modified
starches by increasing the threshold below which these procedures do not
apply.
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Directive 97/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16
December 1997 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to
measures against the emission of gaseous and particulate pollutants from
internal combustion engines to be installed in non-road mobile machinery
(NRMM)
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Summary Remove the administrative burdens arising from the
notification requirements under the flexibility scheme and falling on Member
States' approval authorities and manufacturers
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Directive 1999/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9
March 1999 on radio equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment and the
mutual recognition of their conformity
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Summary Reduce the administrative burden for manufacturers
arising from the need to notify to Member States the intention to place
radio-communications equipment on the market
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Pharmaceutical legislation: - Directive 2001/82/EC of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on the Community code relating
to veterinary medicinal products - Directive 2001/83/EC of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on the Community code relating
to medicinal products for human use
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Summary Review the legal bases of the Variations
Regulations in order to bring full harmonisation of the variations rules within
the EU. This will allow to make the regulatory framework governing changes to
medicinal products (e.g. change in the packaging, in the address of the
manufacturer, ...) clearer, simpler and more flexible.
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Commission Decision 2002/739/EC of 3 September 2002 establishing revised
ecological criteria for the award of the Community eco-label to indoor paints
and varnishes and amending Decision 1999/10/EC.
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Summary The definition of a volatile organic compound
(VOC) varies unnecessarily between legislative instruments. It is generally not
helpful to have differently worded definitions where they cover the same
enterprises/activities. The VOC definitions will be harmonised
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Directive 2006/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6
September 2006 on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and
accumulators and repealing Directive 91/157/EEC
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Summary Clarifying that batteries lawfully placed on the
market before 26 September 2008 do not have to be withdrawn from the market or
relabelled after this date.
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Regulation (EC) No 638/2004 of the EP and of the Council on Community
statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States
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Summary Simplification of Intrastat with a view to
alleviate the statistical reporting of economic operators, in particular
SMEs
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First Council Directive 68/151/EEC of 9 March 1968 on co-ordination of
safeguards which, for the protection of the interests of members and others, are
required by Member States of companies within the meaning of the second
paragraph of Article 58 of the Treaty, with a view to making such safeguards
equivalent throughout the Community
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Summary Eliminate the costs of publishing, in the national
gazette, information that has already been disclosed in the commercial
register.
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Eleventh Council Directive 89/666/EEC of 21 December 1989 concerning
disclosure requirements in respect of branches opened in a Member State by
certain types of company governed by the law of another State
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Summary Member States should not require the translation
and the certification of the translation to be made in their respective
country.
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Fourth Council Directive 78/660/EEC of 25 July 1978 based on Article 54 (3)
(g) of the Treaty on the annual accounts of certain types of companies
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Summary Elimination of certain disclosure requirements
from the Directive
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Seventh Council Directive 83/349/EEC of 13 June 1983 based on the Article
54 (3) (g) of the Treaty on consolidated accounts
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Summary Clarification of the relationship between the IAS
Regulation 1606/2002 and the Seventh Directive.
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More information
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/admin-burdens-reduction/admin_burdens_en.htm
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