First meeting of High Level Expert Group on administrative burdens chaired by Edmund Stoiber

IP/08/56

Brussels, 17th January 2008

The High Level Group (HLG) consists of 15 experts, chaired by Edmund Stoiber (see list of members in the annex). The HLG will receive a progress report from the Commission on the work undertaken so far in this area notably:

The state of play in the implementation of the first package of so-called fast track actions adopted in 2007 and which aimed to reduce red tape by some 1.3 billion Euro (IP/07/1076). To date, five of the ten actions have already been formally adopted. The others are well under way and should be adopted in the coming months. The progress of the work of the consortium that is currently completing the mapping and preparing the measurement of administrative burdens within the European Union (see below). Finally, the HLG will also have a first exchange of views on the second fast track actions package to be proposed by the Commission in the course of 2008 and notably how best they can contribute their own experience to the preparation of this package as well as more generally how best to drive forward the ambitious programme.

Commission Vice-President, Günter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry policy, said: “I am very pleased to kick off the work of this important group because it will play a decisive role in moving ahead the Action Programme on administrative burden reduction. The expertise of its members will allow the Commission to speed up its drive to make life easier for enterprises and ensure that we are focussing our efforts on those areas where the reduction of administrative burden can make a real difference.”

Edmund Stoiber, Chairman of the HLG, said: “The motto of administrative burden reduction has to be: As little legislation as possible. Europe has to give priority to ideas and innovation without bureaucratic stop signs. We will give economic growth in Europe a forward push if we manage to get on with this. “

Edmund Stoiber announced that the group will table courageous proposals regarding a fundamental limitation of bureaucracy in Europe. Administrative cost and time lost because of administrative burden in Europe will have to be reduced significantly, if Europe and its Member States want to keep up in a globalised economy.

Background

The Group has a three-year mandate (IP/07/1339). Its task is to advise the Commission on the implementation of the action plan on reducing administrative burden imposed by legislation in the Union. The ambitious programme presented by the European Commission last January and endorsed by the European Council of March 2007 aims to cut by 25% the administrative burdens of businesses in the EU by 2012 (IP 07/77) The work of the High Level Group follows up on a measurement exercise carried out by a consortium composed of Cap Gemini, Deloitte and Ramboll Management within the 13 priority areas defined by the Action Programme (IP/07/1373).

More information (including mandate of the High-Level Group of 31 August 2007)

Annex: List of members