As part of the Small Business Act implementation, the Commission in close cooperation with Member States has established the new ‘Your Europe - Business’ portal, which gives entrepreneurs easy access to information on doing business in other EU Member States. This new portal has been re-launched in the occasion of the 7th European Business Summit which was held in Brussels between March 26th and 27th.

The 7th European Business Summit is the number one meeting place between high-level decision-makers and business people in Europe. This year the 7h edition of the EBS takes place on March 26th and 27th 2009 in Brussels, under the topic “Dare and Care: sustaining Europe's ambitions - Financing, Staffing and Greening".

EBS specially focuses on how the EU can be more competitive whilst figuring also global leader in a sustainable economy. Through various plenary sessions and workshops EBS will help creating a climate for change to boost business in Europe.

Within this framework, the European Commission has relaunched ‘Your Europe – Business’ website, which aims to help SMEs to take advantage of opportunities to trade and offer their services in the Single Market.

'Your Europe - Business' is another step to implement the Think Small First principle. It answers questions about legal requirements, possibilities and constraints of doing business in each EU Member State and at EU level, how SMEs can get the most from EU public contracts, sustainability and environmental issues, mergers, and how to transfer a business or handle bankruptcy in Member states.

However, the portal goes even further. It also offers direct access to e-government services (such as VAT refund procedures) and online administrative procedures in the EU Member States and gives companies a run-down of the business support services in a chosen country, for example the local branches of the Enterprise Europe Network. The offer even includes a dedicated section on access to finance for each country.

‘Your Europe - Business’ main sections

• Starting Business
• managing a Business
• Doing Business Responsibly
• Profiting from the EU Market
• Expanding a Business
• Competing through Innovation
• Deciding to Stop

European Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen, responsible for Enterprise and Industry, pointed out that “this initiative is another step to make life easier for SMEs and to help them to do business in other Member States. The single market is too big an asset for European businesses to waste opportunities due to a lack of information.”