Europe needs more enterprises. One major barrier faced by entrepreneurs is the time it takes and the costs involved in clearing all the administrative procedures to start a small enterprise. Encouraged by the European Commission it has been possible between 2007 and 2009 to reduce the time and costs involved: In 2009, the average time and cost to set up a company was found to be 8 days and EUR 417 (compared to 9 days/EUR 463 cost in 2008 and 12 days/EUR 485 cost in 2007).

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Education for entrepreneurship can be particularly effective in initial vocational training, as students are close to entering working life and self-employment may be a valuable option for them. The report of the Expert Group on Entrepreneurship in Vocational Education emphasises that the uptake of entrepreneurship education in European schools is still far from being fully satisfactory. It proposes actions to increase the effectiveness of such programmes.

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In a modern knowledge-based economy, excellence in information and communication technologies (ICT) is a crucial factor in individual and collective success. The EU’s drive to promote ICT skills, or e-Skills, has made some impressive progress. Further developing these skills throughout Europe can play an important role in meeting several objectives from fostering innovation, competitiveness, growth and jobs to combating social exclusion. The first European e-Skills Week is due to take place in March 2010.

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