- At the outset I would like to thank the President of the Commission for his contribution and to compliment him and his colleagues for their efforts in endeavouring to reduce the serious unemployment levels which we have in the Community.

My question refers to small and medium-sized enterprises. SMEs represent an overwhelming majority of present and future employees in the Member States of the Union. Can the President of the Commission say what overall measures are planned and according to what timetable, in order to put an end to the disappearance of numerous SMEs because of national legislation with regard to succession. One possibility would be to delay taxation until the final sale of assets and more generally by a modification of archaic taxation and confiscation rules governing the transfer of enterprises in order to help in the creation of enterprises by a strict separation of personal and professional inheritance, more reliable social protection, privileged financial conditions and the setting up at European level of a direct saving scheme through investment clubs in favour of SMEs.