§ Mr. StreeterTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what action the Council of Ministers will take to enable it to judge whether proposed legislation will hold back the creation and development of small and medium enterprises under article 118 of the treaty of Amsterdam; and if she will make a statement. [11401]
§ Mrs. Roche[holding answer 30 July 1997]: The article will place a legal obligation on the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers to ensure that directives adopted under it
avoid imposing administrative, financial and legal constraints in a way which would hold back the creation and development of small and medium-sized enterprises".If the Parliament and Council ignored this obligation when adopting a directive, the European Court of Justice could, on application, hold the directive to be invalid.