MEPs urged to push small business agenda

The Director of the Small Firms Association, Pat Delaney, has said that Ireland's newly-elected MEPs must champion the cause of small business in Europe.

Mr Delaney urged the new MEPs to demonstrate that they can match the rhetoric of the Lisbon Agenda, which aims to make Europe the most competitive, knowledge-based economy by 2010.

"It is imperative that all of Ireland's MEPs are aware of, and enabled to, properly represent the needs of Ireland's 172,000 small firms," said Mr Delaney.

"Much more is required to reduce the level and cost of bureaucracy and open up EU markets to small Irish companies."

"It is now over 20 years since the introduction of the Single European Act and we are still waiting for trade barriers to be removed" Delaney added.

"The SFA calls on our new Irish MEPs to shake up the Brussels small business agenda."