13 Amendments of Gunnar HÖKMARK related to 2008/2237(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines that the application of the 'Think Small First' principle at Community and national level requires the consistent implementation of the internal market rules and the Services Directive1 and an efficient follow-up by the Commission in order to secure that all obstacles are eliminated in accordance with those rules and calls for a 1 Directive 2006/123/EC of 12 December 2006 on services in the internal market (OJ L 376, 27.12.2006, p. 36). sector inquiryhorizontal inquiry regarding the conditions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), corresponding to the sectoral enquiries made by the Commission in various business sectors, to be conducted with a view tof facilitating fair and open competition for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) all over Europe;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls for the establishment of a 'one- stop-shop' for VAT in order to make it possible for entrepreneurs to fulfil their responsibilities in the business country of origin;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Stresses the need for the following in order to facilitate SME participation in public procurement: relevant and proportionate qualification criteria in the specific tender, the division of tenders into smaller lots, and access to tender information in order to enhance the transparency of tender procedures;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Acknowledges that the widespread use of late payments, also from publicly funded bodies, creates a large-scale problem for SMEs since they are vulnerable to variations in cash flow;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Welcomes the ongoing review of Directive 2000/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 June 2000 on combating late payment in commercial transactions1and insists that the SME perspective is taken fully into account, reducing the occurrence and the abuse of late payments would facilitate for SMEs to use the full potential of the internal market to greater effect;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses the importance of progress in bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations which would further reduce regulatory barriers to trade, which effect SMEs disproportionally;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Stresses that the Small Business Act must aim to reduce hindrances for start- ups as well as for self-employed entrepreneurs while at the same time facilitating growth and the emergence of new businesses, providing means and opportunities for innovative processes and competitiveness in European industries;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Deplores Member States' practice of 'gold plating', which is especially harmful for SMEs, and calls upon the Commission to investigate what further measures might be taken to prevent it, including the introduction of a right of direct action for citizens; calls for follow-up impact assessments, analysing how decisions are in fact implemented in Member States and at local level;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Calls on the Commission to add indicative timetables to the large number of actions proposed in the Small Business Act, in order to report annually on the achievements made and thereby ensure that progress is properly monitored;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Underlines the need for EU's different research programmes and technological platforms to be designed in a way that facilitates the participation of SMEs across the borders;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Takes the view that the full potential of e-commerce for SMEs is not yet fully exploited and that there is still much to be done to achieve a Single European Electronic Market for products and services where SMEs could play a leading role for the further integration of the EU markets;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Takes the view that for international public procurement, where new technologies allow for cross-border e- commerce, new forms of, for example, combinatorial auctions for SME- consortia and online publication and advertising tenders allow for significant increases of procurement trade not only within the European Union but globally to encourage cross-border e-commerce;