By Michelle Fitzpatrick - 11th May 2006
Angela Merkel has asked Brussels to cut red tape for businesses by 25 per cent.
Outlining her views on the future of Europe in a keynote speech, the German chancellor said promoting the fight against bureaucracy, encouraging growth and employment, was the best way forward for the EU.
"It has to be possible to reduce the bureaucratic burden by 25 per cent, not just in Germany but in all of Europe," she said.
Merkel expressed her support for the president of the European commission and vice-president Günter Verheugen on this matter, saying that "breaking down bureaucracy was the need of the hour".
Merkel was backing fellow countryman and European enterprise commissioner Verheugen who recently pledged to slash EU business laws by a quarter.
Verheugen is charged with finding ways to cut Europe’s red tape as the EU seeks to free-up entrepreneurs and boost growth.
He recently stated: "We want to have a quantifiable goal and I think that a 25 per cent reduction of bureaucratic costs for entrepreneurs would be very good."
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