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Brussels, 03/03/2008 (Agence Europe) - Speaking in Vilnius on Friday 29 February, Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy sang the praises of the renewed single market strategy and of Lithuania's economic successes since it joined the European Union in 2004.

He once again repeated his credo: legislation will be used to complete the internal market only when there is no other alternative. “We will only seek to act where real problems exist and where most benefits can be gained for consumers and companies. This means that we will only use legislation if it is really justified, and where there is no alternative. Otherwise, we will look for other less prescriptive ways to achieve our goals”, he told heads of companies and members of Lithuanian chambers of commerce.

McCreevy discussed two measures the Commission will propose in 2008: the Small Business Act (SBA) for Europe, a transversal action plan to stimulate the growth potential of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the introduction of a European Private Company Statute (PCS).

“Both initiatives should encourage SMEs to engage to a larger extent in cross-border business activities,” he said, adding, “Enterprises that could not benefit from the 'Societas Europeae' statute will now have a tailor-made legal form and will be able to carry out their business according to one set of corporate rules across the EU. As for the Small Business Act, it will bring together various SME-targeted measures, such as work on administrative burdens or SME participation in funding programmes”.

Echoing the recommendation of the Competitiveness Council to make the free movement of knowledge the fifth freedom guaranteed by the European Treaty (see EUROPE 9609), he also laid great emphasis on knowledge and innovation. “The key initiatives we intend to progress are greater mobility for researchers, more industry friendly intellectual property rights, and more concrete steps towards creating an 'e-Internal Market',” he said. (M.B.)