Strasbourg, 15/12/2009 (Agence Europe) - On 14 December, Mario Monti, explained that, “ the single market is the essential pillar of the European project” but is sometimes depicted as a “threat” to European citizens and has encountered serious difficulties that the current crisis has made worse. Mr Monti said the fact that the single market is incomplete is due to a certain lassitude and lack of attractiveness to citizens. Mr Monti was speaking on the mission conferred him upon him by the president of the Commission and to whom he will submit a report on the relaunch of the internal market (in April).
The former Commissioner for the Internal Market (1995-1999) and for Competition (1999-2004) declared, “The crisis provoked a number of reflexes at national level but even before this crisis there was a certain meanness with regard to the plan of internal market integration”. Monti asserted that, “much more effort will be required on several different fronts” to improve, in particular, implementation of existing rules. He also said that they ought to think about the pace with which they assured following up implementation. The former Commissioner suggested that perhaps they should speed this pace up but recognised that the different stages necessary are part of the treaties: warning, reasoned opinion, and going to the European Court of Justice form part of this process. It will also be necessary to conclude the process involving the Services Directive and examine whether they should go further. Completing the internal market is suffering from a kind of apathy among citizens, underlined MEPs, particularly Socialists. “ We are currently nowhere near completion of the internal market” recognised the president of the special committee on the crisis Wolf Klinz (A LDE, Germany) for whom the objective is ambitious but which lacks the necessary measures that should accompany it. Andreas Schwab (EPP, Germany) pointed to a certain “fatigue”. The internal market is being experienced in a very negative way by our citizens exclaimed Bernadette Vergnaud (S&D, France) who also asked how the revitalisation as sought by Mr Monti would take into account the social economy because they should not “ consider certain services as merchandise”. Vicky Ford (CER, United Kingdom) affirmed that this fatigue involves all markets. She also pointed out that in order to reconstruct our economies we should listen to what the representatives from the SMEs are saying. She is concerned about the question of equal treatment in application of the rules in the different member states. Elisa Ferreira (S&D, Portugal) said “ Europe is not suffering from fatigue but from confidence in the benefits that can be obtained from the simple functioning of the internal market”. Her French colleague Pervenche Berès, the president of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee exclaimed that, “without people being aware of the benefits that can be obtained from single market there is a risk that European citizens see it as primarily a project for big business”. Malcolm Harbour from the British Labour Party and president of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee stated that the problem is one of the internal markets having significantly contributed to growth and jobs but which failed to be a project that conquered the hearts and minds of our citizens. According to the latter, it is necessary to ensure that the internal market earns the emotional support of citizens
Mario Monti said that they should reduce this fracture as soon as possible. He also said that, “the crisis should make us look at certain principles again”. The former commissioner said, however, that we should not renounce these principles and was convinced that the crisis is upsetting the balance. “ Evidence would suggest that questions that were neglected over recent years should be re-examined: income and worsening inequality”. He did say, however, that the crisis should not give the impression that he is questioning the principles of the market or competition. He remains convinced that there should not be an accumulation of different layers of social policy or an illusory harmonisation of taxation but did say that unbridled tax competition without any coordination is a cause of problems and difficulties. His “small mission” is only endowed with the power of persuasion and will not encroach on the remit of the next Commissioner of the Internal Market. “ The person to whom the report will be sent is the President of the Commission and the extension of my reflections must consequently be a little broader than the remit of the Commissioner for the Internal Market”. Mr Monti welcomed the appointment of his former colleague, Michel Barnier to the post and whose confirmation hearing will take place on 13 January. (A.B.)