Brussels, 20/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - The prime ministers of 12 member states - the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom - sent a joint letter to the presidents of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, and European Commission, José Manuel Durão Barroso, on Monday 20 February, ahead of the spring European summit. In the letter, they call for an EU action plan to put Europe back on the road to growth. “As many of our major competitor economies grow steadily out of the gloom of the recent global crisis, financial market turbulence and the burden of debt render the path to recovery in Europe much harder to climb”, reads the letter, a copy of which has been obtained by EUROPE. They set out eight priorities for completing the single market, boosting free trade and reforming national labour markets. Germany and France have not joined this enterprise.
According to the 12, if the single market is to be completed, it will require urgent action to remove restrictions in the services sector, which now forms almost 80% of the European economy. A truly digital single market should be put in place by 2015. Initiatives on intellectual property, secure online payment and dispute settlement are suggested. The signatory countries also say that there has to be delivery of the commitment to establish a “genuine, efficient and effective” internal market in energy by 2014, with all states fully implementing the 3rd energy package. Urgent action is needed, they say, to remove planning and regulatory barriers to investment in infrastructure. In addition to establishing a European Research Area, an effective EU-wide venture capital regime would increase investment opportunities for innovative start-ups, fast-growing companies and small businesses. “Robust, dynamic and competitive” financial services will help stimulate growth. Member states should reduce implicit guarantees to always rescue banks, “which distort the single market”, should be reduced. Banks should hold appropriate levels and forms of capital in line with international criteria and should strictly adhere to the G20 principles on remuneration.
The prime ministers highlight the importance of the external dimension of the single market, calling for “decisive action to deliver open global markets”. They call for the conclusion of free-trade agreements with India, Canada, the countries of the Eastern Partnership (Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and Armenia) and a number of ASEAN partners (Singapore and Malaysia). They want to see trade relations with the countries of the South reinforced and fresh impetus given to trade negotiations with strategic partners, such as Mecosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) and Japan. Negotiations with Japan should be launched before the summer, they argue. The 12 countries say that EU must inject political momentum into “deepening economic integration” with the United States, examining all options including that of free trade, and seeking to deepen trade and investment relations with Russia and China. Efforts should be continued to strengthen the multilateral trade system, including through the Doha Round and multilateral and plurilateral agreements in priority areas and sectors, to resist protectionism and ensure greater market access for European businesses in third countries.
The 12 call for reform of national labour markets, for example with a forum for peer assessment of national practices which would help identify and bring down “unjustified” regulatory barriers. Equally, the number of regulated, and thus protected, professions in Europe must be reduced. The 12 prime ministers suggest that there should be measures to foster mobility among workers. (MB/EH/transl.rt)