Better Governance for the Single Market & the Services Directive Package

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Better Governance for the Single Market & the Services Directive Package - Hoofdinhoud

date	June 8 2012 11:30
city	Brussel, Belgium
attending	M. (Michel) Barnier et al.
organisation	European Commission (EC)

In response to calls from the European Council and the Parliament to strengthen the governance of the Single Market and improve its implementation and enforcement, the Commission will adopt on 8 June 2012 a communication setting out actions and targets to make the Single Market effectively deliver more growth.

Much is already being done to boost growth and create jobs (e.g. Europe 2020 - see IP/10/225, Single Market Act – see IP/11/469), but there is an urgent need to make what we have work better in practice. The Communication for better governance for the Single Market sets out an ambitious course of action to make progress on proper enforcement and application of EU law in priority areas with the greatest growth potential. It proposes measures to further improve the way Single Market rules are designed, implemented, applied and enforced - the 'governance cycle'.

On the same day, the Commission will also adopt a Services Directive Package consisting of a policy paper, accompanied by three staff working documents and their annexes. The reports will focus on: the implementation of the Services Directive; the results of the performance check exercise evaluating how well EU rules are applied to businesses on a day-to-day basis; and guidance on the application of Article 20(2) which concerns the non-discrimination of service recipients on the basis of nationality or country of residence. The policy paper will present a state of play and propose a set of actions to deliver much needed growth and jobs. Efforts will be focussed on those service sectors with significant economic weight, and with above average growth potential: construction, tourism, business and retail.

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1. Achtergrond

Today's Single Market suffers from chequered implementation and uneven enforcement. Too often, EU Directives are not transposed in time. Furthermore, EU rules are frequently implemented in ways that run counter to EU law or impose unnecessary burdens on businesses and/or people. It has been calculated for instance that a more efficient transposition of EU legislation could reduce administrative burdens by 32%, leading to an overall cost saving of nearly 40 billion euro. And evidence shows that in many areas, Single Market rules are not properly understood, applied and enforced.

The Services Directive was adopted in 2006 to improve the regulatory environment in Member States and make it easier for businesses and consumers to benefit from the opportunities offered by the EU single market. It had to be implemented by all Member States by the end of 2009.

The Directive covers services accounting for more than 45% of EU GDP and consequently is vital for growth and job creation in Europe. The most recent assessment shows that the Services Directive brings significant economic benefits – and could bring even more if Member States were more ambitious in opening up their services markets. The Commission has looked at the work done by Member States and identified the main obstacles still remaining. It is proposing concrete measures to make the single market in services work better for both business and citizens.