South East SMEs get to have their say on Europe

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 1st Feb 2008

South East Liberal Democrat MEP, Sharon Bowles, has welcomed the European Commission's commitment to developing a European "Small Business Act" which will seek to cut red tape and offer resources, both financial and advisory, to help SMEs across the EU flourish.

Sharon Bowles said "European laws have made it easier than ever to take advantage of doing business across borders, and UK companies are thriving as a result. However, many small companies feel they are missing out on this opportunity as the rules are often drafted with the bigger companies in mind. Complex rules and extra paperwork have frequently put many off expanding cross border, but now the EU is specifically looking into how this can be changed".

The Commission launched its consultation yesterday and Sharon is urging SMEs to take part. "It is very important that small enterprises make their voices heard. This is your chance to shape EU legislation so it can target help where it is needed most. No one knows this better than you and you should let them know" said Sharon Bowles.

The consultation will run until March 2008 and contributions can be made online at http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/entrepreneurship/sba_en.htm

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