The European Commission is looking to cut red tape for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs). It is therefore launching a consultation process for them and their representative organisations, in order to help to identify the top ten EU legislative acts considered most burdensome by micro-companies and SMEs. The public consultation will be running until 21 December 2012.

The consultation process now opened by the European Commission is looking for cutting red tape. In particular, the European Commission is calling upon businesses in the consultation entitled "Let us know what could be done better - we would like your ideas for reducing red tape!", to identify the top ten EU legislative acts considered most burdensome by micro-companies and SMEs. This consultation will run until 21 December 2012, and once complete, the Commission will analyse the results and consider how situation for SMEs could be improved. In January 2012, the Commission also launched a statement encouraging the access to the public procurement for SMEs.

The Commission is calling on SMEs help to remove excessive burdens, for example in services, customs, employment and social Affairs, energy, product safety, environment, business environment, taxation, consumer protection and/or transport. Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship and European Commission Vice President highlighted that he is very often told that the European Commission is too far removed from the daily reality of small businesses. The Commission thus wants to address this gap.

The implementation of the “Think Small First” principle remains the core principle of the EU's legislation for small businesses. As part of the review of the Small Business Act (2011), the Commission is further strengthening its impact assessment procedure to ensure that impacts on SMEs are thoroughly analysed and taken into account in all relevant legislative and policy proposals, with a clear indication of quantified effects on SMEs, whenever possible and proportionate.