CEPLIS TELEGRAM European Council of the Liberal Professions Coudenberg 70 B-1000 Brussels Tel: +32.2.511.44.39 Email : ceplis@scarlet.be http://www.ceplis.org Date: 11/02/2014 Pages: 10 pages N 02/14 - Focus on the upcoming European Election - Horizon 2020 : SMEs have a central role in Europe - News from our Members: ULPR elects a new President: Emilian Randu UNAPL protests against reforms of the French government Unión Profesional tries to influence the draft of the Spanish Law on Services and Regulatory Body - Forthcoming Event: Construction of Transnational employment and training mobility in Europe 1
Focus on the upcoming European Election As you might already know, the next European election will take place between the 22nd and 25th May 2014. This election introduces a particular innovation: for the first time in history, the votes of European electors will determine the next President of the European Commission. As a consequence of the Lisbon Treaty and following the recommendation of the European Parliament known as the Duff Report, many political groups will campaign in 2014 with a candidate for the position of President of the European Commission. This innovation might have a positive effect on both keeping the focus of the campaign on European issues as well as boosting the turnout by increasing the relevance of this process in the eyes of citizens. So far, only five groups have announced they will present a candidate for the position of President of the EC. The first announcement of a frontrunner came from the Party of the European Socialists with Martin Schulz (President of the European Parliament) who never hid his intention to become the candidate of his group. Since there was no other candidate among socialist ranks, Schulz was naturally chosen on the 6th of November to run for the election. 2
A similar situation happened within the Party of the European Left. During their congress in December, they approved the single candidature of Alexis Tsipras, the leader of the Greek party Syriza. He had been proposed by their Council of chairpersons in October and he received more than 80% of the votes. The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party faced a dilemma, with current commissioner Olli Rehn competing for the leading position on one side, and the former Belgian Prime Minister and actual President of the ALDE Guy Verhofstadt on the other. Some analysts feared that the tension between these two figures could lead to a split into two liberal factions. The mediation of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte gave birth to an agreement that nominated Guy Verhofstadt as the Liberal candidate for Commission Presidency, and reserved another big position, related to economic or foreign affairs, for Olli Rehn. On its behalf, the European Green Party has launched a pioneering process of primary elections open to all Europeans. They used an online voting system where anyone (it was not necessary to be a member of a Green party to participate) who was 16 or older could choose up to two candidates for the position of President of the Commission via the website www.greenprimary.eu. The four candidates were the French activist José Bové, Monica Frassoni, co-chair of the European Green Party, Rebecca Harms, anti-nuclear militant, and Ska Keller, from the Federation of Young European Greens. Ska Keller and José Bové won this poll and will lead the European Green Party for the May elections. 3
The situation is less clear among the Christian-democrats of the European People s Party. The decision will be taken during their congress on 6-7 March 2014. Until then, negotiations will take place internally. In December, there were at least 6 interested people, according to Joseph Daul, the EPP President. The names of the interested people are not officially announced but rumors have Jean-Claude Juncker (former Prime Minister of Luxembourg, who is facing a clear opposition of the CDU of Angela Merkel), Jyrki Katainen (Prime Minister of Finland) and Fredrik Reinfeldt (Prime Minister of Sweden) as plausible candidates. Other names are circulating: Commissioners Vivianne Reading and Michel Barnier or the IMF president Christine Lagarde. 4
European SMEs on the road to digital transformation Speeding up the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) among SMEs is crucial to drive Europe's competitiveness and growth. High-tech office solutions, a paperless working environment and smart data management used to be a luxury that only big companies could afford but the revolution in ICT has created unprecedented opportunities for companies of all sizes. Recent research commissioned by Ricoh Europe shows that that 88 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) leaders in Europe realize that digitize and unlocking data from physical documents would improve business decision-making and allow them to plan better into the future. However, the potential of new technologies remains largely unexplored, as the vast majority of small businesses are struggling to move from paper-based information sharing to efficient electronic data management. Speeding up the adoption of ICT among SMEs is crucial not only for their own economic well-being, but, most of all, for the sake of competitiveness and growth in Europe. Economic recovery in Europe relies heavily on the health of more than 20 million SMEs, which represent 99 per cent of all businesses and are a key driver for growth, innovation, employment and social integration. With even more technology-led change on the way, it is vital that European SMEs remain agile and ready to embrace new business opportunities. Neelie Kroes, European Commission vice-president for the Digital Agenda, has specifically emphasized that 'digital transformation' is essential for the economic future of Europe. And the Commission's Entrepreneurship 2020 action plan has gone further, stating that SMEs grow two to three times faster when they adopt ICT. In some areas of digital transformation Europe's SMEs are leading the race: in fact, 64 per cent expect to digitize their remaining physical documents within the next three years, compared to less than half of large businesses. SME business leaders are increasingly aware of complex data management challenges. Issues such as the inability to access documents from a mobile device, unsuitable search functions, chaotic paper trails and fragmented information silos can hinder the sharing of information and prevent employees from obtaining the knowledge they need to move businesses forward. Ineffective processes such as these can lead to a loss of customers and, ultimately, revenue. According to the research, 70 per cent of SMEs said that they could save between five and 20 per cent of their annual turnover by digitising historical documents. Digital transformation is also necessary to lay the foundations for the rise of 'intelligent workers' (also known as iworkers) reliable and skilled employees who 5
have 24/7 access to all the information required to meet the needs of the business and its clients. Currently, 15 per cent of European SME leaders would describe the majority of their employees as iworkers. However, leaders forecast that this figure will double by 2018, with 30 per cent believing the majority of their workforce will soon align with the definition. In order to get ready for this new generation of well-qualified, hyper-connected employees, companies need to create efficiencies across their business through streamlined information and knowledge sharing processes. In addition, this must remain a long term commitment, with regular reviews to help ensure the right people have access to the right technology whenever they need it. By mastering a connected and efficient workplace today, SME leaders can imagine an even greater future where they're able to immediately embrace technology to reach new markets, respond to customers, and increase their competitiveness. Based on projections from the Commission's Economic and Financial Affairs DG, 2014 is expected to see an increase in hiring from European SMEs, a promising forecast for the first time in many years and one that signifies continued growth and change-opportunity for business leaders. Now, to realize the true potential of the technology available to them, they must adopt a retirement programme for some of the traditional ways of working that no longer fit into the company's infrastructure or new technologies. In addition when all platforms, tools and systems are fully integrated, business leaders are in a better position to optimize their internal processes and ensure that their technology and the people that use it are fully supported. To establish and maintain new and effective ways of working, SMEs must review these processes on a regular basis. This will ensure that they are at the forefront to capitalize on technology-led change, have an empowered workforce and succeed within an ever-changing European business landscape. Undoubtedly, paperwork is necessary to maintain the excellency of services provided by liberal professional, nevertheless, at CEPLIS, we should pursue our reflexion in a way to lighten the redtape. In this regard, a completely electronic European Professional Card probably shows the path to follow in this domain. We would appreciate to receive your feedback concerning this topic. 6
News from our Members UPLR has elected a new President: Emilian Radu This past January, the Romanian Union of Liberal Professions (UPLR, full member of CEPLIS) has elected a new President : Emilian Radu. This experienced economist will serve a two year term at the head of the organization. There is no doubt that UPLR and CEPLIS will take advantage Emilian Radu s leadership. His past as civil servant and recognized consultant will be useful to defend liberal professions and promote the excellency of their services. The new President has defined 5 objectives for his term : 1) Raising the profile and visibility of UPLR within the political, economic and social environment in Romania by assessing and updating its overall impact. 2) Attracting more professions within UPLR as full members 3) Putting together operational working groups dedicated to specific subjects able to deliver reliable reports allowing UPLR to position itself on the main topics affecting the activity of its member Associations (fiscality, economic environment, legal framework, competition, legitimate lobbing and specific targets, among others). 4) Being pro-active in negotiating with the state institutions the core interest of liberal professions which are expecting to serve the overall public interest. 5) Active monitoring of the EU legislation affecting the various professions operations both in Romania and cross-border within EU. CEPLIS, at the European Level, will do its best to help UPLR to fulfil these objectives and hopes to pursue its fruitful collaboration with UPLR in the future. 7
UNAPL protests against reforms of the French government Our French colleagues pursue their campaign against the French government. At stake, the willingness of French government to reform the pension scheme of liberal professions and the lack of representativeness of the latters in interprofessional negotiations. Confronted to the eventual nationalisation of their savings counting up to 21 billions euro by a French government in search of means of actions, French liberal professionals chose to raise their voices. They have launched a communication campaign to mock the so-called fiscal presents made by the government, denouncing their unfairness and handing them back to the political authorities. Even if the campaign is getting bigger everyday and can count on the support of well known political figures, the government has not reacted to their claims yet. Another reason of the protests is the tendency of french government to overlook UNAPL as a legitimate interlocutor in the interprofessional negotiations despite its representativeness. Let us bear in mind that Liberal Professionals represent 27% of French companies and are giving jobs to 2 millions people, which could give them a right to speech. Please find more information by clicking on the following link : http://www.lefigaro.fr/impots/2014/01/12/05003-20140112artfig00141-les-professionsliberales-decidees-a-se-faire-de-nouveau-entendre.php 8
Unión Profesional tries to influence the draft of the Spanish Law on Services and Regulatory Body Confronted to the willingness of the Rajoy government to reform the functioning of the regulatory bodies in the kingdom, our Spanish colleagues expressed their criticisms against a law which could have negative impact on the quality of the services delivered by Spanish professionals to the consumers. Namely, Unión Profesional underlined 2 flaws in the current draft. First off, they protest against the suppression of the mandatory registration to a local regulatory body. This would prevent the bodies to exercise their necessary control on the services delivered by the professionals. Also, they are against the lowering of the subscription fee. This would reduce the means of action available for the regulatory bodies. All this put together would lower the standards offered to the consumer. Please find more information by clicking on the following link : http://www.elglobal.net/noticias-medicamento/2014-01-24/farmacia/union-profesionalespera-retoques-en-el-anteproyecto-de-lscp/pagina.aspx?idart=808636 9
FORTHCOMING EVENT Construction of Transnational employment and training mobility in Europe When? The 18 th of February 2014: 10:00 13:00 Who? Where? Organised by Confrontations Europe Tel : 33(0)1 43 17 32 87 http://www.confrontations.org/fr/ Brussels (to be confirmed) With? Dirk G. Bochar, Secretary General, FEANI Frederic Daerden, MEP, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. Stefan Schulz-Trieglaff, Policy Officer, European Commission-DG Employment Luca Visentini, Confederal Secretary, European Trade Union Confederation Registration? Registration required, by e-mail to Mrs. Katarina Cirodde: kcirodde@confrontations.org 10