Mallorca firms demand less red tape, tougher checks
Retail businesses in Palma, Mallorca, want the Balearic government to cut paperwork for small firms — but not at the expense of inspections. On Tuesday, the Balearic retail employers’ federation Afedeco asked the Directorate General for Business, Self-Employed Workers and Commerce to involve it in the administrative simplification process. The planned changes would make wider use of self-declarations and advance notices to shorten procedures.
Afedeco president Joana Manresa said a faster administration had long been a demand of businesses. But she warned that simpler procedures must come with effective checks afterwards: cutting red tape, she said, does not mean ending oversight.
A self-declaration moves official checks to a later stage. Afedeco wants swift, complete follow-up checks, especially where a declaration gives access to exceptional arrangements. The federation said the Directorate General already knows of a real case showing the problems that can arise when a declaration takes effect without a rapid and thorough review.
Manresa said the system should help those who follow the rules, not people who interpret requirements unilaterally because there is no real capacity for later inspection. In retail, Afedeco said, such declarations can affect not only the business filing them but also how the sector operates and the conditions for competition.
The federation has offered to work with the Directorate General on a model that combines simpler administration with equal competitive conditions. The weaker the checks before a declaration takes effect, Manresa said, the more important effective checks afterwards become.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com