The first plenary session of the 10th Parliamentary term, has come to an end. Between the 16th-19th July crucial votes took place in Strasbourg, which will shape the future of Europe’s businesses for the next five years.
Before being re-elected as Commission President for a second term, in her speech to MEPs, Ms Ursula von der Leyen laid out proposals to improve the business environment in Europe.
She remarked that prosperity and competitiveness need a boost and “making business easier and faster” is crucial. Finishing the Capital Markets Union, less reporting, less bureaucracy, and faster permitting were also amongst the promises made. Commissioners will be tasked with ensuring that burden is reduced in their respective portfolios. Furthermore, Von Der Leyen added that there will be the appointment of a Vice-President to coordinate work on bureaucracy reduction and to report on it once per year.
While the aforementioned ideas are good, EFB will remain attentive to their application. The actual reduction of bureaucracy is crucial to family businesses of all sizes (especially to SMEs and Mid-Caps). Their ability to operate within the EU Single Market needs to be facilitated to ensure they can focus on sustainability, growth and competitiveness.