Brussels, 27/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - The number one tool to relaunch growth in Europe is the single market, with its 500 million consumers and 22 million businesses, said Michel Barnier on Monday 27 February. The European Commissioner for the single market and services presented a report taking stock of implementation of the 10 proposals already presented out of the 12 measures laid down in the Single Market Act. He will propose, “in the course of summer 2012, the monitoring of the first 12 initiatives and 12 new proposals, with an obligation for the Commission to deliver these 12 new proposals before summer 2013”.
"On 1 January 2013, we can officially mark the 20th anniversary of the European Single Act, launched by initiative of Jacques Delors. I stress that this anniversary should not be nostalgic or melancholic, but proactive and dynamic for growth", Barnier said. He reiterated that growth will be the number one theme of the European Council of 1 and 2 March, stressing that the single market “is working better, but is not working as it should at the moment”. The single market could produce three or four growth points in the short term, and so it needs to work better, said Michel Barnier. He also asserted that he was “encouraged” by the letter sent by 12 EU leaders to José Manuel Barroso, President of the Commission, and Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council (EUROPE 10557). On many of the points raised in this letter, “we see the commitments we are already working on” regarding the Single Market Act, he said.
10 out of 12
Since the Single Market Act was adopted in April 2011, the Commission has put forward 10 of the 12 principal legislative proposals promised and 28 complementary actions (of the 40 proposed) to promote growth, employment and confidence in the single market. And some of the proposals are currently being adopted by the Council and the European Parliament, such as the proposals on the European patent. The European Council has undertaken to resolve the final issue, that of the seat of the single jurisdiction, “by the end of June", the Commissioner pointed out. Two proposals are still pending, but these will be presented by the College in the next few weeks. The first of these is about ensuring that social rights are applied across the single market and the second is on developing the digital single market (electronic identification, authentication, signatures, etc).
Michel Barnier also said that as well as proposals “to facilitate growth” (promoting mobility, exports, innovation, trade and investment, returning to the foundation stones of the social market economy), there should also be tools for governance of the single market. This is an important subject in the view of Prime Minister Mario Monti, he said. The Commission has its traditional instruments, such as infringement proceedings for countries which fail to transpose the texts of the single market, and a “task force” made up of nearly 700 operational national civil servants to ensure correct implementation of the single market. There are also tools allowing citizens and businesses to come closer to this great internal market (200,000 requests a month on average via the Your Europe website), one-stop shops to assist businesses (just one third of these are online in the member states).
There is room for improvement in the “Solvit” network (mediation system), Barnier said. This system for the resolution of conflicts related to the implementation of legislation on the single market has been a victim of its own success. In 2011, it received 3100 complaints or requests, and 89% of the cases were resolved without legal action having to be taken.
The report published on governance paves the way for the Commission's report, scheduled for June, on the possibilities of reinforcing the implementation of the legislation on the single market and improving its application, as called for by the informal European Council of 30 January 2012. By the end of this year, the Commission will take stock of progress made on all fronts and present its programme for the next step. Its reflections will be fed into by a large-scale economic study, the results of which will help to identify areas in which unexploited growth potentials still exist, and to apply new growth levers as required.
In October 2012, the Commission is planning to hold a single market week throughout Europe, which will also coincide with the second annual single market forum.
Good news for Italy
Michel Barnier announced that the Commission had put an end to infringement proceedings against Italy regarding bathing concessions. The Italian authorities have adopted provisions which “are sufficient to bring Italian law into line with European law”, the commissioner said. (LC/transl.fl)