§ 25. Mrs. GormanTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to urge other EU states to relieve small and medium enterprises of the burden of over-regulation. [32146]
§ Mr. PageIncreasingly, other member states of the European Union are recognising the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises for job creation, and of their particular sensitivity to poor regulation. This is reflected in the Cannes European Council's conclusions, and also in the work of the Commission's small firms directorate on disseminating best regulatory practice for small business. I believe that member states can benefit from our "think small first" approach to new legislation and our small firms litmus test. We are working closely on this with other member states.