Business leaders to attend Cabinet meeting to unveil blueprint for return of powers from Brussels Heads of companies such as Marks & Spencer and Diageo invited Will address ministers on EU rules and regulations that hamper growth Expected to condemn 'inflexible and unclear' rules on working hours, hiring agency workers, onerous rules and maternity leave proposal Business leaders will today attend a meeting of the Cabinet to unveil a blueprint for the return of powers from Brussels designed to save British firms tens of billions of pounds. In a highly unusual move, the heads of companies including Marks & Spencer and Diageo have been invited to address senior ministers in Downing Street on EU rules and regulations that are hampering economic growth. They will condemn "inflexible and unclear" rules on working hours and the hiring of agency workers, onerous environmental and food labelling rules and a proposal to require 20 weeks" maternity leave on full pay. Heads of companies including Marks & Spencer have been invited to address Downing Street on EU rules and regulations that are hampering economic growth In all, they identify 30 areas where "problematic, poorly understood and burdensome European rules" are hitting British firms, with small and medium-sized enterprises particularly badly affected. They also complain that while in the US companies can get new products licensed and to market in a matter of days, it takes weeks or months in Europe. The six business leaders on the taskforce are Marc Bolland, chief executive of M&S; Ian Cheshire, CEO of Kingfisher; Glenn Cooper, managing director of ATG Access; Louise Makin, CEO of BTG; Dale Murray, an entrepreneur; and Paul Walsh of Diageo. David Cameron will take their proposals for reform to a European summit next week in what is being seen as the first stage of attempts to renegotiate a new relationship with Brussels before holding an in/out referendum on EU membership in 2017. In a letter to other EU leaders last night, the Prime Minister said businesses had to do most of the work to kick-start growth, create jobs and foster innovation - and pointed out the European Council had agreed that removing unnecessary red tape was essential to help them thrive. "I firmly believe that we need to go further and faster, and we must also put business at the heart of this debate, listening to what they need to successfully compete in the global market place," he wrote. The Prime Minister said it was time for Brussels to 'commit to more concrete measures to get rid of the unnecessary regulation which holds our businesses, and Europe, back' The Prime Minister said it was time for Brussels to "commit to more concrete measures to get rid of the unnecessary regulation which holds our businesses, and Europe, back." He added: "It's vital that business can take full advantage of the EU's single market. But all too often EU rules are a handicap for firms, hampering their efforts to succeed in the global race. Business people, particularly owners of small firms, are forced to spend too much time complying with pointless, burdensome and costly regulations and that means less time developing a new product, winning contracts or hiring young recruits. 'I'm determined to change that and to get the EU working for business, not against it. At next week's European Council, I'll be calling for a clear commitment to sweep away unnecessary bureaucratic barriers and to unleash private sector growth - helping to secure the economic recovery for all. Other proposals in the business" leaders report include scrapping EU-wide requirements for small businesses in low-risk sectors to keep written health and safety risk assessments, which would save businesses across the EU an £2.3 billion a year. The EU should abandon plans to force small businesses, such as one-man gardening firms and carpenters, to pay fees to register to collect and transport waste, even when the materials involved are harmless and the quantities small. Brussels should also fast-track measures to set a maximum cap on the fees that can be applied to card, internet and mobile payments, reducing costs for retailers and consumers. The report also argues the EU should not seek to interfere in the exploitation of shale gas, with estimates that Britain could be sitting on enough gas to meet out needs for 50 years. Simon Walker, of the Institute of Directors, said: "Many of these recommendations will be supported by IoD members up and down the country, who too often find their hands bound by European red-tape. Efforts which could otherwise be spent on innovation and investment are instead exhausted battling complex regulatory burdens. David Cameron will take the proposals for reform to a European summit next week European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said: "The European Commission has been listening to the concerns of businesses" and other stakeholders for some time, and I welcome all ideas for reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens. In the last five years, the European Commission has slashed the cost of administrative burdens by 32.3 billion euros [£27.4 billion GBP] and scrapped 5590 legal acts. And we are determined to go further. Common rules are essential to make the single market work properly but I also want to make sure that the EU does not meddle where it should not and member states do not add additional burdens.