Council Conclusions

on "Stimulating Entrepreneurship"

(2004/C 86/02)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

1. RECALLING the conclusions of various European Councils(1) calling for action to improve entrepreneurship and framework conditions for small businesses;

2. RECOGNISING that entrepreneurship is a major driver of innovation, competitiveness, employment and growth and that encouraging and training more people to become entrepreneurs are key requirements for the achievement of the Lisbon objectives;

3. WELCOMES the fact that the Commission's communication "Action Plan: The European agenda for Entrepreneurship" identifies principal areas where the environment for entrepreneurship needs to be improved, as well as a range of actions to create a more favourable environment for and to give a strong impetus to entrepreneurship by raising its general profile and WELCOMES the progress achieved in implementing the European Charter for small enterprises;

4. STRESSES that within the context of the integrated approach to competitiveness, there are policy priorities including access to finance, training/education, and better regulation, which are crucial to the success of the relevant Community Action Plans and measures;

5. Considering the urgent need for concrete results to deliver these policy priorities, CALLS ON the Commission to set out a more ambitious timetable for undertaking these actions and ENCOURAGES Member States to exploit best practices, in particular those identified through the open method of coordination;

6. INVITES Member States and the Commission, within their respective competencies, to intensify efforts and take early action in:

- improving education and training for entrepreneurship at all levels;

- improving the regulatory environment, building on the "Better Regulation" Action Plan; the impact of proposed legislation on small businesses and entrepreneurs should be assessed, informed by systematic consultation; the cumulative effects of existing legislation should also be assessed, in order to reduce the greater relative burden on small businesses;

- supporting and facilitating access to finance for entrepreneurs, in particular with regard to start-ups, transfers, innovative businesses and entrepreneurs in under-represented groups; concerns about the implications of the Basel II Accord for small businesses should also be taken into account;

- ensuring that the State aids framework is appropriately targeted towards addressing market failures that inhibit entrepreneurial and innovative activity;

- enhancing mechanisms to strengthen the dialogue between entrepreneurs and policy makers, and improving access to information;

- raising the profile of successful entrepreneurs and of entrepreneurship policies, including an examination of the feasibility of establishing a "European Centres of Enterprise" awards scheme;

- identifying and jointly agreeing indicators of performance and progress as a basis for the subsequent voluntary setting of targets for increased entrepreneurial activity, taking into account global markets;

- examining the European Charter for small enterprises in the light of priorities identified in the Commission's Entrepreneurship Action Plan, within the same timeframe as the mid-term review of the Lisbon strategy, in order to ensure that it reflects in a coherent way the specific needs of entrepreneurs and small businesses in an enlarged European Union;

- streamlining all reporting arrangements between the Member States and the Commission in respect of the Charter and other related instruments.

(1) Including Cardiff 1998, Lisbon and Feira 2000, and Brussels 2003.