At a meeting of the European Parliament’s SME Intergroup, EuroCommerce reiterated its call for the development of better online tools for SMEs.
Speaking at the group session, EuroCommerce director general Christian Verschueren pressed for the European Parliament and Council to accelerate progress on the proposal for a Single Digital Gateway to provide information, assistance and problem-solving services to small to medium enterprises.
“The Commission proposal on the Single Digital Gateway is an important step forward in helping businesses to have easy access to information on EU and national rules governing the Single Market,” Verschueren said.
“The existing sources of information are simply not well-enough known or do not perform as should be expected. The Single Digital Gateway is a major chance for Europe to improve cross-border trade and make it easier for citizens to explore the opportunities the internal market has to offer,” he continued.
Trade Assistance
EuroCommerce also called on the Commission to step in, should companies want to do business in another EU member state without support at a national level in terms of sourcing information on legal obligations, etc.
“Lack of awareness and understanding about legal requirements in other countries means that retailers and wholesalers, particularly SMEs, often do not have the confidence to trade across borders,” said Verschueren.
“The information is often already there, but not easily accessible or complete. Businesses need practical answers to daily problems and questions they face while doing business and serving their customers. The Single Digital Gateway should help them do so.”
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
