Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-06-13-Speech-3-485-000"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20120613.29.3-485-000"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, thank you to Klaus-Heiner Lehne for what he has said and the initiative that he has taken in this regard. I promise him that on this issue, as on all the others, I am wide awake, Mr President, and proactive, especially as company law, honourable Members, is an important tool for growth. This is about the context of current day-to-day life for all businesses in Europe. Our objective is to create, with this law and with other reforms, the most efficient ‘climate’ for the work of businesses: European mobility.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am increasingly convinced that Europe needs a regulatory framework that is adapted to the changes in the economic environment, to the needs of present day society. This regulatory framework must allow businesses to grow more easily within the Union, for the good of their shareholders and their customers as well as their employees.
I am mindful that some recent initiatives in the area of company law have encountered difficulties. This is not a reason for me to close the door and to do nothing more. We will therefore prepare a fairly full and detailed plan, in the spirit that I have just indicated.
That is why I also await with great interest the discussions that you will be having on your resolution on the future of company law. It will come at the right time to illuminate our work and lend more robustness, and undoubtedly more ambition as well, to the action plan that I will present to you in a few months.
I would like to reiterate that this large market must not primarily or only be for large businesses, but also for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), even for very small businesses. These are very real issues. That is why I was pleased about the success of the consultation on company law. We received more than 500 responses – and the Chair of the Committee on Legal Affairs, Mr Lehne, also mentioned the contribution of the European Parliament – from all economic, social and academic stakeholders across Europe. We are analysing objectively the responses that we have received.
At this stage, from what I understand from the responses that we received, and based also on my own convictions, we have very strong support for European initiatives in this area of company law, particularly on two points. Firstly, facilitating businesses’ cross-border operations. I bring to mind the improvement of the transnational merger system, the measures on cross-border divisions, and the rather difficult question of cross-border transfers of company seats.
Secondly, the codification of company law. We are currently working on this. It is a lengthy process, on which I hope, before my term is over, to be in a position to make you some concrete proposals. Based on these results, Mr Lehne, I am preparing, ladies and gentlemen, for this coming October, an action plan with a series of concrete short-, medium- and long-term initiatives in the area of company law. You will find in this plan almost all of the points that you yourself have raised, Mr Lehne. However, I will come back to a few of them.
This plan will cover our thinking on the future of company law and also our current work on corporate governance. Indeed, I am convinced that one cannot separate the two, governance and company law. The two main thrusts are thus grouped together to create this coherent framework. Furthermore, on this point I would like to praise the work already completed with regard to company governance by your Parliament, in particular, by your rapporteur, Mr Bodu, whom I thank.
Naturally, I do not have the intention nor the possibility to say in detail what this plan will cover, but I would like to briefly mention a few of the themes. Firstly, this plan will include initiatives to create greater transparency between companies and investors. We must draw lessons from certain irresponsible practices and behaviours that we have condemned.
A first initiative will involve non-financial transparency of companies, with a key element being the obligation on companies to make known their diversity policy on management boards. I will also propose steps to encourage more constructive and long-term involvement of shareholders in companies. In another area, I do intend to suggest giving greater responsibility to shareholders, for example, in setting the framework for salaries in the financial sector.
Another theme of this plan is that I would like to propose measures to stimulate the competitiveness of European businesses. There is a very strong demand for facilitating the cross-border operations of businesses. In this connection, I have fully understood the sense of Parliament’s resolution on a 14th directive on the cross-border transfer of company seats. There are opinions that are rather diverse on this matter. The question of a new proposal remains open, but it is clear that I would like only to commit to this path on the basis of clear support from Member States and from the European Parliament. In light of the results of our consultation, I will ask my departments to reassess the situation and, if need be, to prepare a proposal for a directive.
A few words also, Mr Lehne, on a point that you raised, which is the European private company. This is a subject which is blocked in the Council, where unanimity has not yet been reached, despite the efforts of several presidencies, and despite my own efforts. It is an important tool to help small and medium-sized European businesses and I do not wish to exclude any means to enable it to progress, including, Mr Lehne, the route of enhanced cooperation, which can be used if a sufficient number of Member States wish it, and it is this that I will verify. I would like to say that I am willing to support enhanced cooperation on this matter."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples