Risk-takers can unlock Europe's potential
New drive to boost entrepreneurship in Europe
The European Commission has launched a framework for entrepreneurial activity in Europe.
A new Action Plan outlines initiatives to cut red tape and to encourage budding entrepreneurs, especially women and those from ethnic minorities.
"Europe needs more entrepreneurs to boost our lagging competitive performance," said the EU's Enterprise Commissioner Erkki Liikanen. "To strengthen innovation, competitiveness and growth, more Europeans need to start or take over businesses, and once a business is established it needs the conditions in which it can grow. The Action Plan identifies a focused set of measures in areas where Europe can and will make a difference."
Key objectives are the fostering of a more entrepreneurial mindset among young people, reducing the stigma of failure, providing support for women and ethnic minorities, reducing the complexity of complying with tax laws and making it easier to transfer a business to new owners.
Too few Europeans set up their own businesses and too few small businesses in Europe experience substantial growth, says the EU's executive. Yet almost half of Europeans say they would prefer to be self-employed.
According to the 2003 edition of the Eurobarometer survey on entrepreneurship, due to be published shortly, only 4 per cent of Europeans have been involved in setting up a business during the past three years. This compares with almost three times as many people engaged in new entrepreneurial initiatives in the United States. Ireland and Greece, however, come very close to the US performance.
The Commission adds that the speed with which businesses grow after starting up is too slow in Europe. Here the average business employs six people - three times less than in the US. Fast growing enterprises, the biggest contributors to growth and job creation, are still rare in most EU countries.
The Action Plan, which follows the EC's consultation through the Entrepreneurship Green Paper published last year, also focuses on changing the way society looks at entrepreneurs; creating the conditions to encourage more people to become entrepreneurs; improving the flow of finance to SMEs and entrepreneurs; and creating a more SME-friendly regulatory and administrative framework.
The Commission promises to work with Member States to get young people to think about the option of setting up their own business; to look at how bankruptcy and other rules could be adapted to reduce the stigma associated with business failures; to improve the way business transfers are treated; to examining whether social security provisions discourage people from making the move to self-employment; provide support for women and ethnic minorities; and to create more equity and stronger balance sheets for small and medium-sized businesses in order to get a better balance between self-funding, bank loans and other types of external finance.
The European Commission has launched a framework for entrepreneurial activity in Europe.
A new Action Plan outlines initiatives to cut red tape and to encourage budding entrepreneurs, especially women and those from ethnic minorities.
"Europe needs more entrepreneurs to boost our lagging competitive performance," said the EU's Enterprise Commissioner Erkki Liikanen. "To strengthen innovation, competitiveness and growth, more Europeans need to start or take over businesses, and once a business is established it needs the conditions in which it can grow. The Action Plan identifies a focused set of measures in areas where Europe can and will make a difference."
Key objectives are the fostering of a more entrepreneurial mindset among young people, reducing the stigma of failure, providing support for women and ethnic minorities, reducing the complexity of complying with tax laws and making it easier to transfer a business to new owners.
Too few Europeans set up their own businesses and too few small businesses in Europe experience substantial growth, says the EU's executive. Yet almost half of Europeans say they would prefer to be self-employed.
According to the 2003 edition of the Eurobarometer survey on entrepreneurship, due to be published shortly, only 4 per cent of Europeans have been involved in setting up a business during the past three years. This compares with almost three times as many people engaged in new entrepreneurial initiatives in the United States. Ireland and Greece, however, come very close to the US performance.
The Commission adds that the speed with which businesses grow after starting up is too slow in Europe. Here the average business employs six people - three times less than in the US. Fast growing enterprises, the biggest contributors to growth and job creation, are still rare in most EU countries.
The Action Plan, which follows the EC's consultation through the Entrepreneurship Green Paper published last year, also focuses on changing the way society looks at entrepreneurs; creating the conditions to encourage more people to become entrepreneurs; improving the flow of finance to SMEs and entrepreneurs; and creating a more SME-friendly regulatory and administrative framework.
The Commission promises to work with Member States to get young people to think about the option of setting up their own business; to look at how bankruptcy and other rules could be adapted to reduce the stigma associated with business failures; to improve the way business transfers are treated; to examining whether social security provisions discourage people from making the move to self-employment; provide support for women and ethnic minorities; and to create more equity and stronger balance sheets for small and medium-sized businesses in order to get a better balance between self-funding, bank loans and other types of external finance.
publicado por MP às 16:59
