Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on Family businesses in Europe as a source of renewed growth and better jobs

The EESC calls for:

an active strategy promoting best practices on family businesses among Member States to be implemented;
preparation of a legal framework on family businesses, which would include a commonly acceptable definition of a family business;
a family business category to be included in European statistics and national data on family business to be gathered in an effective way;
better regulation on the transfer of family businesses from one generation to the next;
the family organisational climate and innovation among family firms to be promoted;
education to be developed and research promoted in the area of family entrepreneurship;
family farms to be supported and cooperative-based entrepreneurship redeveloped;
tax deductions to be introduced on reinvested profits, and opportunities for family businesses to increase their capital without granting voting rights;
active cooperation at EU level with organisations representing family businesses.