European companies are more confident about the business situation in Europe than in the past six years, according to an annual survey of the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry (EUROCHAMBRES), released on 4 December 2006.
The report, which measures the mood among entrepreneurs for the coming year, shows that businesses across Europe believe that both export and domestic sales will improve in 2007, raising overall turnover and fostering optimism about investment and employment. Expectations regarding job creation are more than double what they were in 2006.
Nevertheless, a number of countries remain gloomy about business prospects in the year ahead. Hungarian businessmen paint a particularly bleak picture of the country, with negative expectations for employment and turnover. Slovakia, Poland and Greece also remain pessimistic.
Denmark, on the other hand, whose 'flexicurity model' has created a large number of jobs in recent years, has the most optimistic companies, followed by Sweden, Latvia, Slovenia and future member Bulgaria.
Pierre Simon, President of EUROCHAMBRES, said: "Optimistic entrepreneurs should not be let down!" He urged EU ministers to "address key issues that can sustain the positive trend in Europe", including:
- Cutting red tape and implementing the services directive in order to make business easier;
- investing in research, education and training, employability and innovation, especially in SMEs, and;
- reviving the Doha development agenda, so as to avoid multiplying bilateral trade deals that make the global business environment more complex and unstable and distort international trade.
