CEOs want EU to boost entrepreneurship

European CEOs are “losing patience” with implementation of key elements of the Lisbon agenda, according to a new survey.

It shows that 91 per cent of chief executives feel the EU is still not moving quickly enough on the liberalisation of market and product regulation.

Overall, 430 CEOs took part in the survey, conducted by Roland Berger strategy consultants from October 2006 to March. They represented companies with a turnover of more than 250m euros.

The results were published at the European business summit in Brussels today.

Burkhard Schwenker, of Roland Berger, said, “The message of this survey is that the EU needs to tackle the tasks already on the table, slash red tape and communicate the positive economic turnaround Europe is currently experiencing.”

He said the survey showed that CEOs are anxious to see the EU and its member states to consolidate their policies and “do their homework”.

A third of the bosses surveyed were critical of the way their own governments conduct EU policy making.

French CEOs (71 per cent) are particularly discouraged by their government’s failure to convince voters of the benefits of the draft constitution.

Yet almost two-thirds of EU top executives (67 per cent) want to see a stronger Europe to ensure their companies’ success.

“The majority of CEOs (70 per cent) want to see the EU promoting alternative strategies to help guide investments in these new technologies,” said Schwenker.

“What Europe needs above all is a mentally shift. We need to kick off a new era of entrepreneurship in order to make the best of Europe’s enormous potential.”

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