Strengthening SMEs' competitiveness in the EU, especially vis-à-vis companies from outside Europe, is not possible without reducing excessive regulatory burdens, including the reduction of reporting obligations. The problem of overregulation of EU law, especially in comparison with other parts of the world, has been repeatedly pointed out by organisations representing European entrepreneurs. The opinion aims at identifying the reasons for introducing excessive regulatory burdens in EU law and the areas that restrain SMEs' competitiveness the most. The opinion analyses the impact of the new sustainability reporting obligations (both those already introduced and those planned) on the SMEs' competitiveness, by indicating the actual benefits of this process.
The European Green Deal set the path for a critical transition related to climate and circularity. The current transformation change concerns all sectors of economy, mainly transport, energy, industry and agriculture. It is critical to ensure a synergetic approach between the goals of the Green Deal and other important EU goals, such as innovation, competitiveness and access to critical raw materials. A better understanding of how the different EU adopted legislative acts interact with each other is needed. Moreover, the Green Deal legislation should also reflect the current economic and political situation in which we are living.
The own initiative opinion aims at identifying acts and particular measures stemming from the Green Deal that need a recalibration in order to avoid any contradictions, damage to the environment, consumer health and EU competitiveness.
