16.8.2004 Official Journal of the European Union L 268/3 DECISION No 593/2004/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 21 July 2004 amending Council Decision 2000/819/EC on a multiannual programme for enterprise and entre- preneurship, and in particular for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (2001-2005) (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Com- munity, and in particular Article 157(3) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (%), After consulting the Committee of the Regions, Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (3, Whereas: (1) On 5 November 1997, the Commission adopted Deci- sion 97/761/EC approving a support mechanism for the creation of transnational joint ventures for SMEs in the Community (%). (2)  The ETF Start-up Facility, the Joint European Venture (JEV) programme and the SME Guarantee Facility were measures provided for in Council Decision 98/347/EC of 19 May 1998 on measures of financial assistance for innovative and job-creating small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) — the growth and employment initia- tive (%). (3)  The multiannual programme set up by Decision 2000/819/EC (°), aims at improving the financial envir- onment for business, in particular by improving the functioning of the ETF Start-up Facility, amending the SME Guarantee Facility and, with regard to JEV, by using, for the benefit of undertakings planning to enter into a transnational partnership, the commitments effected up until 31 December 2000 under Decision 98/347EC. (4)  The purpose of the ETF Start-up Facility, JEV programme, and SME Guarantee Facility must be to effi- ciently address market failures in the access for SMEs to risk capital through enhancing participation of both private and public actors, with the aim of reaching distri- bution rates of 100 %. (") Opinion delivered on 30 June 2004 (not yet published in the Offi- cial Journal). () Opinion of the European Parliament of 22 April 2004 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and Council Decision of 19 July 2004. () OJL 310,13.11.1997, p. 28. () OJL 155,29.5.1998, p. 43. () OJ L 333, 29.12.2000, p. 84. Decision amended by the 2003 Act of Accession. ©) According to point IV of Annex II to Decision 2000/819/EC, experience has shown that the JEV programme needs to be simplified in order to enable SMEs’ requests for financial contributions to be dealt with quickly by the financial intermediaries and Commission departments and to ensure that Community resources are used correctly. It was also stated that the Commission was examining the possibility of adapting the eligibility criteria in order to respond more effec- tively to the needs of SMEs with regard to cross-border investments, including those in applicant States. On 10 October 2002 the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on Growth and Employment Initiative — measures on financial assis- tance for innovative and job-creating small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (°), where it notes that the JEV programme in its current form is no longer appropriate. The Commission’s evaluation of the Growth and Employment Initiative as at 29 May 2002 concludes that the take-up of the JEV programme by the market is low, the job creation effect limited and the administrative cost very high and that JEV should be phased out as soon as possible. For reasons of cost-efficiency, the Community should withdraw progressively from programmes that involve micro-management of small amounts of money, as is the case with the projects financed under the JEV programme. After careful analysis, it has to be concluded that a substantial simplification of the JEV programme is not possible, since any substantial change to the structure or eligibility criteria of the programme would change its nature and therefore be outside the scope of the legal basis (Decision 98/347/EC). Therefore it would not be possible to use the remaining committed budget nor would it be possible to use the budget for projects invol- ving the then accession countries and the candidate countries. () 0J C 279 E, 20.11.2003, p. 78.