BETA


2008/2687(RSP) Resolution on accounting requirements as regards small and medium-sized companies, particularly micro-entities

Progress: Procedure completed

Legal Basis:
RoP 132-p2

Events

2009/01/29
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2008/12/18
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2008/12/18
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2008/12/18
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2008/12/18
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted, by 494 votes in favour to 23 against with 22 abstentions, a resolution tabled by the Committee on Legal Affairs on accounting requirements as regards small and medium-sized companies, particularly micro-entities.

Parliament notes that the existing accounting rules laid down by the Fourth Council Directive 78/660/EEC on the annual accounts of certain types of companies (the 4th Company Law Directive) and the Seventh Council Directive 83/349/EEC on consolidated accounts (the 7th Company Law Directive) are often very burdensome for small and medium-sized companies, and in particular for micro-entities (very small companies). It reminds the Commission that, while a coherent and harmonised accounting system in the EU facilitates trade within the internal market, micro-entities are excessively burdened by existing accounting rules. Those companies may, for example, be small retailers or handicraft businesses. The Commission is reminded that, where those undertakings are active mainly within one Member State at local or regional level, they have no cross-border impact on the internal market or on competition within the EU. Member States should therefore have the option of fully or partly exempting those companies from statutory accounting obligations.

Parliament calls on the Commission to present a legislative proposal that allows Member States to exempt from the scope of the 4th and 7th Company Law Directives companies which – on the basis of their balance-sheet data – do not exceed the limits of two of the following three criteria:

- balance sheet total: EUR 500 000;

- net turnover: EUR 1 000 000;

- average number of employees during the financial year: 10.

if the business activities of those companies are conducted at local or regional level within one Member State.

With a view to stimulating simplification and harmonisation of company law and in particular of accounting rules within the internal market, the Commission is asked to continue its efforts to review the 4th and 7th Company Law Directives and to present a uniform European accountancy framework before the end of 2009. A uniform standard will reduce the administrative burden for all small and medium-sized companies and will increase transparency for all relevant stakeholders. Simplification should also be greatly stimulated by a structured European introduction of XBRL (Extensible Business Reporting Language).

Documents
2008/12/18
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament

Documents

Votes

B6-0626/2008 - Obligations comptables des entreprises de taille moyenne - résolution #

2008/12/18 Outcome: +: 494, -: 23, 0: 22
DE FR ES IT PL GB NL RO PT CZ HU EL BG IE DK SK FI AT SI BE LV LT CY EE LU MT SE
Total
68
59
39
40
37
47
21
21
19
18
16
16
13
10
12
10
9
9
7
20
6
8
6
4
4
4
16
icon: PPE-DE PPE-DE
197

Denmark PPE-DE

Abstain (1)

1

Belgium PPE-DE

3

Latvia PPE-DE

2

Estonia PPE-DE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE-DE

3

Malta PPE-DE

For (1)

1
icon: PSE PSE
152

Czechia PSE

2

Ireland PSE

1

Slovakia PSE

2

Slovenia PSE

For (1)

1

Lithuania PSE

2

Estonia PSE

For (1)

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
76

Hungary ALDE

1

Ireland ALDE

For (1)

1

Austria ALDE

1

Slovenia ALDE

2

Belgium ALDE

Abstain (1)

3

Latvia ALDE

1

Cyprus ALDE

For (1)

1

Estonia ALDE

2

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1

Sweden ALDE

For (1)

Against (1)

2
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
30

Italy Verts/ALE

2

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

4

Denmark Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Sweden Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: UEN UEN
31

Denmark UEN

Abstain (1)

1

Latvia UEN

2

Lithuania UEN

Against (1)

2
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
28

France GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Spain GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Italy GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

5

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Portugal GUE/NGL

3

Greece GUE/NGL

2

Finland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

2

Sweden GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

2
icon: IND/DEM IND/DEM
9

France IND/DEM

For (1)

1

Poland IND/DEM

3

Netherlands IND/DEM

2

Greece IND/DEM

1

Denmark IND/DEM

For (1)

1

Sweden IND/DEM

For (1)

1
icon: NI NI
16

Italy NI

For (1)

1

Poland NI

1

United Kingdom NI

For (1)

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

3

Czechia NI

1

Slovakia NI

1

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

docs/1/docs/0/url
/oeil/spdoc.do?i=16538&j=0&l=en
docs/0/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-6-2008-0626_EN.html
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-6-2008-0626_EN.html
docs/1/docs/0/url
/oeil/spdoc.do?i=16538&j=0&l=en
events/1/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20081218&type=CRE
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/EN&reference=20081218&type=CRE
events/2
date
2008-12-18T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-6-2008-0635_EN.html title: T6-0635/2008
summary
events/2
date
2008-12-18T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
body
EP
docs
url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-6-2008-0635_EN.html title: T6-0635/2008
summary
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure EP 132-p2
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure EP 123-p2
docs/0/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B6-2008-626&language=EN
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-6-2008-0626_EN.html
docs/1/body
EC
events/2/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P6-TA-2008-635
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-6-2008-0635_EN.html
activities
  • date: 2008-12-18T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=16538&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20081218&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P6-TA-2008-635 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T6-0635/2008 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
commission
  • body: EC dg: Taxation and Customs Union commissioner: MCCREEVY Charlie
committees
    docs
    • date: 2008-12-18T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B6-2008-626&language=EN title: B6-0626/2008 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
    • date: 2009-01-29T00:00:00 docs: url: /oeil/spdoc.do?i=16538&j=0&l=en title: SP(2009)402 type: Commission response to text adopted in plenary
    events
    • date: 2008-12-18T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=16538&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
    • date: 2008-12-18T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20081218&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
    • date: 2008-12-18T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P6-TA-2008-635 title: T6-0635/2008 summary: The European Parliament adopted, by 494 votes in favour to 23 against with 22 abstentions, a resolution tabled by the Committee on Legal Affairs on accounting requirements as regards small and medium-sized companies, particularly micro-entities. Parliament notes that the existing accounting rules laid down by the Fourth Council Directive 78/660/EEC on the annual accounts of certain types of companies (the 4th Company Law Directive) and the Seventh Council Directive 83/349/EEC on consolidated accounts (the 7th Company Law Directive) are often very burdensome for small and medium-sized companies, and in particular for micro-entities (very small companies). It reminds the Commission that, while a coherent and harmonised accounting system in the EU facilitates trade within the internal market, micro-entities are excessively burdened by existing accounting rules. Those companies may, for example, be small retailers or handicraft businesses. The Commission is reminded that, where those undertakings are active mainly within one Member State at local or regional level, they have no cross-border impact on the internal market or on competition within the EU. Member States should therefore have the option of fully or partly exempting those companies from statutory accounting obligations. Parliament calls on the Commission to present a legislative proposal that allows Member States to exempt from the scope of the 4th and 7th Company Law Directives companies which – on the basis of their balance-sheet data – do not exceed the limits of two of the following three criteria: - balance sheet total: EUR 500 000; - net turnover: EUR 1 000 000; - average number of employees during the financial year: 10. if the business activities of those companies are conducted at local or regional level within one Member State. With a view to stimulating simplification and harmonisation of company law and in particular of accounting rules within the internal market, the Commission is asked to continue its efforts to review the 4th and 7th Company Law Directives and to present a uniform European accountancy framework before the end of 2009. A uniform standard will reduce the administrative burden for all small and medium-sized companies and will increase transparency for all relevant stakeholders. Simplification should also be greatly stimulated by a structured European introduction of XBRL (Extensible Business Reporting Language).
    • date: 2008-12-18T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
    links
    other
    • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/index_en.htm title: Taxation and Customs Union commissioner: MCCREEVY Charlie
    procedure/legal_basis/0
    Rules of Procedure EP 123-p2
    procedure/legal_basis/0
    Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 123-p2
    procedure/subject
    Old
    • 3.45.01 Company law
    • 3.45.02 Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), craft industries
    • 3.45.03 Financial management of undertakings, business loans, accounting
    • 3.45.08 Business environment, reduction of the administrative burdens
    New
    3.45.01
    Company law
    3.45.02
    Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), craft industries
    3.45.03
    Financial management of undertakings, business loans, accounting
    3.45.08
    Business environment, reduction of the administrative burdens
    procedure/subtype
    Old
    Resolution on statements
    New
    Resolution on statement
    procedure/subject/1
    Old
    3.45.02 Small and medium-sized enterprises SMEs, craft industries
    New
    3.45.02 Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), craft industries
    activities
    • date: 2008-12-18T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=16538&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20081218&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P6-TA-2008-635 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T6-0635/2008 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
    committees
      links
      other
      • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/index_en.htm title: Taxation and Customs Union commissioner: MCCREEVY Charlie
      procedure
      reference
      2008/2687(RSP)
      title
      Resolution on accounting requirements as regards small and medium-sized companies, particularly micro-entities
      legal_basis
      Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 123-p2
      stage_reached
      Procedure completed
      subtype
      Resolution on statements
      type
      RSP - Resolutions on topical subjects
      subject