31. 12. 90 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 332/79 
Opinion on the draft notice from the Commission to Member States laying down guidelines 
for operational programmes which Member States are invited to establish in the framework 
of a Community initiative concerning the preparation of businesses for the Single Market 
(PRISMA) 
(90/C 332/24) 
On 2 August 1990 the Commission decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, 
under Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the 
abovementioned draft notice. 
The Section for Regional Development and Town and Country Planning, which was repons-
ible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 10 September 
1990. The Rapporteur was Mr Bento Goncalves. 
At its 279th plenary session (meeting of 19 September 1990) the Economic and Social 
Committee unanimously adopted the following Opinion. 
1. Introduction 
1.1. The objectives set out in the European Single 
Act highlight, inter alia, the need to multiply efforts to 
achieve greater economic and social cohesion; this is 
one objective necessary to the completion and success 
of the 1992 Single Market. 
1.2. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) will, 
generally speaking, experience considerable difficulties 
in adjusting to the Single Market, and firms in 
objective 1 regions will face even greater difficulties. 
1.3. To help SME to overcome these difficulties, the 
Commission has devised the PRISMA programme for 
Member States; the aim is to provide SME in disadvan­
taged regions with access (i) to basic certification and 
testing infrastructures, with a view to improving prod­
uct quality and (ii) above all, to testing laboratories for 
calibration and metrology. 
Technical assistance for SME in the service sector will 
also improve their participation in public procurement 
and allow them better access to: (i) information net­
works, (ii) Community and national procedures 
governing quality, certification and testing standards; 
(iii) results of research and development (R&D) into 
products for the Community market and (iv) support 
for cooperation between firms. 
1.4. The Committee applauds the way that the Com­
mission has evaluated both the objectives of PRISMA 
and the needs targeted by this programme, since this is 
in line with the stance adopted by the Committee in its 
various Opinions on SME in general. 
2. General comments 
2.1. The PRISMA programme is one of a series of 
Commission initiatives designed to reduce regional dis­parities; it complements not only the RECHAR, 
ENVIREG, REGIS, INTERREG and STRIDE pro­
grammes on which the Committee has already issued 
favourable Opinions, but also the proposed TELEMA-
TIQUE programme. 
2.2. The Committee's overall assessment of the 
PRISMA initiative is positive, but is subject to a number 
of specific comments set out in chapter 3. 
2.3. The Committee insists that testing laboratories 
set up under PRISMA should be officially recognized 
at Community level to ensure that consumer confidence 
is well-founded. A system of mutual recognition should 
operate until a European office is opened. 
2.4. The Committee stresses that it must be made 
quite clear that the budget currently earmarked for 
PRISMA will top up funds for actions already approved 
under the Community support frameworks for Member 
States, and that this budget cannot apply to current 
GDR territory unless additional funding is granted. 
2.5. The Committee commends the aptness of Com­
munity programmes which try to redress imbalances 
wherever they occur. It is nevertheless concerned about 
the administrative complications that these pro­
grammes entail. Regions with development problems 
are often unable to take on board the proliferation of 
new Community legislation. 
3. Specific comments 
3.1. The Committee feels that the Commission 
should make a point of encouraging Member States 
to include opportunities offered under the PRISMA 
initiative in their operational programme. 
No C 332/80 Official Journal of the European Communities 31. 12. 90 
3.2. The Committee feels that the term 'SME' should 
apply to all firms meeting the appropriate criteria, inter 
alia a given size of work force, irrespective of their legal 
status. Thus the PRISMA initiative should also cover 
cooperatives. 
3.3. The Committee would refer to its Opinions on 
public procurement (x), reiterating the misgivings it has 
already expressed regarding actual opportunities for 
small firms and cooperatives to participate in public 
procurement. 
3.4. The Committee believes that the success of the 
PRISMA programme will be dependent on whether or 
(*) OJ No C 68, 16. 3. 1987 and OJ No C 139, 5. 6. 1989. 
Done at Brussels, 19 September 1990. not information is well publicized. To this end, it would 
be appropriate for Member States to enlist the support 
of SME organizations; this would have the added bonus 
of encouraging more SME to join these organizations. 
Moreover, effective dissemination of information will 
depend on the success of the TELEMATIQUE initiat­
ive, for some regions do not even have the infrastructure 
necessary for widespread use of fax communications. 
3.5. The Committee nevertheless feels that access to 
PRISMA may remain difficult for the majority of SME, 
especially the smaller firms, unless the Commission 
stipulates specifically that all technical assistance facili­
ties under this initiative, including the establishment of 
local and decentralized testing laboratories, are avail­
able not only to individual firms, but also to groupings 
of SME. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alberto MASPRONE