High Level Group on Administrative BurdensThomas Bustrup 17th oct. 13

Administrative burdens and SMEs

State of play and recommendations from a Danish perspective

High Level Group on Administrative Burdens 17th oct. 13Thomas Bustrup

Agenda

1. Introduction

2. A Danish Example - Business Forum for Simpler Rules

3. Remarks to ABR plus – priority list for HLG follow-up

4. Other areas where Danish SMEs face administrative burdens caused by EU-legislation

5. Recommendations for a Smart Regulation in the EU

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High Level Group on Administrative Burdens 17th oct. 13Thomas Bustrup

Thomas Bustrup

• Deputy Director General• Member of the Executive

Board• Employed in the

Confederation of Danish Industry since 1996

Responsible for • SME policy• EU affairs• International relations

and activities

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High Level Group on Administrative Burdens 17th oct. 13Thomas Bustrup

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Confederation of Danish Industry

Largest Business Organization in Denmark

10.000 members within manufacturing, trade and service industry

Member of BUSINESSEUROPE and Orgalime

High Level Group on Administrative Burdens 17th oct. 13Thomas Bustrup

A Danish example

Business Forum for Simpler Rules

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High Level Group on Administrative Burdens 17th oct. 13Thomas Bustrup

Business Forum for Simpler Rules

Established in spring 2012

Mandate: to the end of 2015

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Overall purpose

to reduce the administrative burdens

in the areas where businesses express a

specific need for change

High Level Group on Administrative Burdens 17th oct. 13Thomas Bustrup

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”Comply or explain” principle

80 pct. of all proposals so far are either approved or partly approved

High Level Group on Administrative Burdens 17th oct. 13Thomas Bustrup

Selected

themes

Statistical data

Access to foreign labour

Implementation of EU-legislation

Regulation on occupational

safety & health

Digitalisation

Public Administration

at local level

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High Level Group on Administrative Burdens 17th oct. 13Thomas Bustrup

Improvement in the public service

at local level towards

businessesReduction of the time used by the public sector to handle

applications

Improvement in the reuse of

statistical data

Reduction of the public complexity

towards businesses

Improvement in the coordination

between government authorities

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What are the results…

High Level Group on Administrative Burdens 17th oct. 13Thomas Bustrup

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

• Specific focus on the areas pointed out by businesses

• Give stakeholders a political platform to make a real impact on reducing administrative burdens

• Based on transparency, quality and dialogue

Weaknesses

• Lack of internal pressure among civil servants to prioritize the smart regulation agenda

• Unable to handle proposals for smart regulation that stem from EU-legislation

• Cannot stand alone but must be complemented with other instruments to reduce administrative burdens

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High Level Group on Administrative Burdens 17th oct. 13Thomas Bustrup

Remarks to ABR plus – based on priority list for HLG follow-up

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High Level Group on Administrative Burdens 17th oct. 13Thomas Bustrup

Remarks to ABR plus – HLG priority list

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Annual accounts/compa

ny law(Simplified audit

regimes)

Public procurement

Taxation / custom

(electronic invoicing)

Transport(Digital Tachograph)

High Level Group on Administrative Burdens 17th oct. 13Thomas Bustrup

Areas where Danish SMEs face administrative challenges with EU legislation

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A few examples:

• Legislative overlap between related directives concerning products used in buildings

• Overlaps and inconsistencies between REACH and other EU chemicals legislation, especially product legislation

• Inflexible Rules for the Assessment ofthe Risks to Safety and Health at Work

High Level Group on Administrative Burdens 17th oct. 13Thomas Bustrup

Recommendations for a Smart Regulation in the EU

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High Level Group on Administrative Burdens 17th oct. 13Thomas Bustrup

Introduce a Business Forum at EU-level• Problem:

There is a need for a concrete political platform where businesses and stakeholders can present their proposals for simplification

• Possible Solution:

Introduce a political instrument that can handle concrete proposals to reduce administrative burdens for businesses in the EU

The political instrument could be acconpanied by a ”comply or explain” principle to secure the political will to make a real impact

• Example:

The Danish Business Forum for Simpler Rules15

High Level Group on Administrative Burdens 17th oct. 13Thomas Bustrup

Introduce a new net reduction target• Problem:

There is a need for setting a new net reduction target in the EU to follow up effectively on the ABR Programme

• Possible Solution:

Set a new net reduction target to reduce the overall administrative burdens for businesses in the EU – at least within the selected areas from the top-ten consultation

• Example:

New net reduction targets have been set in the Netherlands and in Norway

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High Level Group on Administrative Burdens 17th oct. 13Thomas Bustrup

Introduce Impact Assessments on amendments from the Council or EP

• Problem:

The decision process of EU regulation in Council and EP often leads to new administrative burdens for businesses, not included in the original impact assessment

• Solution:

Introduce Impact Assessments on amendments introduced by Council andEP

• Example:

Obligations for manufacturers in the proposal for a Consumer Product Safety Regulation

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High Level Group on Administrative BurdensThomas Bustrup 17th oct. 13

Questions & Comments