BUSINESS owners in Uttlesford have been called upon to help fight a campaign designed to cut stifling commercial red tape across the whole of Europe.

East of England MEP, Vicky Ford, is leading a march to allow businesses to spend more time actually making money and providing services, rather than filling out forms.

She added her signature to the ‘Action not Words’ campaign which is already supported by the UK’s Federation of Small Businesses.

The campaign aims to force the European Commission to introduce a ‘one-in, one-out’ rule for all new legislation and to make sure that the costs of legislation on small businesses are impact assessed before they are brought into law and once passed are then regularly re-considered.

Vicky Ford said: “We all know that heavy handed European laws can put huge costs onto businesses – small and medium sized enterprises often bear the brunt of this.

“Surveys have shown that most small business owners spend on average seven hours a week just doing paperwork.

“The campaign has good support from UK MEPs but to be successful we need to make sure that it is supported by over 50 per cent of the 785 MEPs from across Europe – we have eight weeks to get those signatures.

Mrs Ford is looking for all manner of support but she specifically said that it would be helpful if people with friends, colleagues and clients in other EU countries could encourage them to contact their own MEPs asking for support.

A simple email to any MEP asking them to support the written declaration number 88/2010 will make all the difference, she pointed out and added: “If we get enough signatures from MEPs then the European Commission is legally forced to take action.”

WHAT do you think? Write to us at 54 High Street, Saffron Walden, Essex, CB10 1EE.