Omnibus: Take risk-based approach and cut red tape for SMEs

"It is a positive development that the Council has adopted its position on the Omnibus 1 relief package. Reducing the number of companies subject to reporting requirements is the right thing to do and must also be secured in future trilogue negotiations with Parliament. It is also essential for SMEs to strengthen the voluntary reporting standard (VSME) and improve the acceptance of estimated and industry values. 

The Council's position on due diligence obligations in the supply chain also contains some improvements for enterprises. In line with the risk-based approach, companies should not be obliged to check every business partner, but only direct ones. They should limit themselves to the greatest risks and only be allowed to request information from business partners with fewer than 1,000 employees if they are unable to obtain it elsewhere. It would have been better to explicitly rate European supply chains as low risk. We expect this principle to still be included in the trilogue negotiations.

The most important thing now is for the legislators to reach an agreement quickly. Only then will the promised relief for skilled crafts businesses become a reality. Lengthy and detailed discussions as well as a misconceived perfectionism are stalling the start. The European Parliament must not get caught up in ideological power struggles and lose sight of the goal of reducing bureaucracy quickly and significantly. In the current difficult economic situation, the burden on skilled crafts businesses must be relieved quickly."