7. detsembril kuulutati Brüsselis välja Euroopa ettevõtlusauhinna üldvõitja.
Peaauhinna sai Soome projekt "<i>Y4 Committee</i>", mis koondab enda
alla 36 asutust. Ettevõtlusauhind on asutatud eesmärgiga tunnustada üle kogu
Euroopa piirkondlike ja kohalike omavalitsuste tegevust, mis soodustab
ettevõtlust eriti väikeettevõtete hulgas.
By 2009, the internal postal market should be fully open to competition under a new proposal put forward by the Commission on 18 October. In concrete terms, this would mean abolishing the final reserved area, namely the monopoly currently held by traditional public operators on processing mail weighing less than 50 grams. More generally, the universal service would be upheld and European consumers and businesses could expect greater choice and improved quality in a more competitive market. Internal Market and Services Commissioner Charlie McCreevy said: "In preparing the proposal, we have put consumer and user needs first. With full market opening in 2009, we can look forward to more innovation, better services and improved cost-efficiency."
The removal of the remaining obstacles in the Internal Market is crucial to equip the EU for globalisation. This is one of the main conclusions the College of Commissioners reached at a seminar held on 19 September in Profondval, Belgium. They agreed that the Internal Market was the EU's most important contribution to the Lisbon strategy and the strongest driver for growth and jobs. "We need to overcome the false dichotomy of business-led versus consumer-led policies and bring out the common denominator," said Commission President José Manuel Barroso.
99% of all European businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises, providing some 75 million jobs and accounting for more than 80% of employment in some sectors. SMEs are thus vital for Europe.
