The European Parliament voted yes on Thursday to the so-called Omnibus 1 proposal. It is intended to reduce reporting rules for companies. It is an important step towards reducing administrative burdens on European companies, according to the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI), the Danish Confederation of Enterprises and SMEs and Denmark.
- The EU badly needs a deal with unnecessary bureaucracy so that companies can thrive and continue to ensure our prosperity. That deal goes a step further with this vote, says DI's CEO, Lars Sandahl Sørensen.
There is also relief for small and medium-sized companies in SME Denmark, says CEO Jesper Beinov.
- It is almost impossible to overestimate how much this means. The pervasive bureaucracy is the biggest challenge to the competitiveness of Danish SMEs. Now we are finally starting to take concrete steps towards easing the burdens, says Jesper Beinov.
Thursday's vote comes after a slim majority in the EU Parliament surprisingly said no to the proposal in a vote in October. This cast doubt on one of the biggest agendas for both the EU Commission and the Danish EU presidency: Strengthening competitiveness in the EU.
The so-called Draghi report pointed out last year that more and more regulations from Brussels are stifling European companies.
Disappointment at SF
However, the Greens and the Left are concerned that the regulatory simplifications will affect the green agenda. Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (SF), who has been the chief negotiator for the Greens, calls Thursday's vote "a setback":
- It is a black day for Europe's climate policy, says Kira Marie Peter-Hansen.
She believes that today's vote could have more far-reaching consequences for cooperation in parliament.
The bourgeois EPP group chose to seek support for the rule simplifications from the right wing in the EU Parliament in order to get a majority in place. This happened even though the Greens are part of the majority above the center that confirmed von der Leyen as president of the EU Commission.
- The consequence risks unrest and chaos when the largest group among the pro-European parties rejects dialogue and instead seeks support from climate deniers and EU opponents. It is a dangerous course for our common future, which could create instability on a number of important agendas, says Kira Marie Peter-Hansen.
Anders Vistisen: A "victory for less bureaucracy"
Danish People's Party member of the European Parliament, Anders Vistisen, has repeatedly criticized the attempt to exclude the right wing from influence. He calls the vote a "victory for less bureaucracy and hassle for our companies".
- Firstly, we are now taking a concrete step to remove some of the crazy regulation that hits Europeans every year and that has been introduced by conservatives, social democrats and liberals in the EU.
- But we are also showing that only the right wing in the EU can deliver the votes for such solutions - after a much less serious proposal between the old ruling parties for the same legislation was voted down last month, says Vistisen.
The vote means that the requirements for sustainability reporting will be relaxed for a number of European companies.
This could be the first of several regulatory simplifications. Both the EU Commission and the Danish EU Presidency are pushing for new Omnibus packages to be adopted in the coming time. This is supported by the director of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, Morten Langager.
- The EU Parliament has today made the responsible choice and voted for the package, which is the first step towards a more competitive EU.
- We at the Danish Chamber of Commerce can only applaud this. But the applause will be short-lived, because there is still a lot to be done, says Morten Langager.
/ritzau/
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