EU Parliament Monitor - 20/10/08

European commissioner Günter Verheugen has called for a ‘greater effort’ to help cut the ‘burden’ of red tape facing Europe’s SMEs.
Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, the German official also said the EU must collaborate with the business community to foster a “spirit of entrepreneurship.”
One way of achieving this, he argued, is to further reduce the ‘administrative and compliance’ burden on Europe’s SMEs. [TheParliament]

German deputy Elmar Brok has backed calls for the Irish to hold another referendum on the stalled Lisbon treaty before next June’s European elections.
Irish prime minister Brian Cowen is expected to come under pressure from both Paris and Bonn to call a second referendum as early as March when he attends this week’s EU summit in Brussels. [TheParliament]