Brussels, 16/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European summit on 18-19 October should be the occasion for the EU27 to firm up the growth compact on which they agreed in June, and to give fresh impetus to all actions stemming from it and that are linked to the internal market, President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso said at the start of Internal Market Week on Monday 15 October.
“The internal market is today the biggest space for trade and exchange in the world and it is also - indeed above all - the accomplishment of a true European space for life in common which contributes both to unity and European identity”¸ he said. “And while, in this time of crisis, we are witnessing the resurgence of strong temptations to economic nationalism and assertion of identity, it is crucial to remember that the single market remains more than ever the cornerstone of European integration and sustainable growth”, he added. “It is now urgent - and I want to stress the word urgent - to forge ahead. This is also the message that I will deliver to heads of state and government at the European Council in Brussels this Thursday and Friday”, he continued.
A report on implementing the growth compact will be submitted to the leaders during the summit and since “most of this growth compact is precisely about actions linked to the single market, (…) we now need to see the implementation and acceleration of this capacity to produce action on the ground”, Barroso urged (our translation throughout).
Last week President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy also asked the EU27 to implement their commitments on the 2011 Single Market Act as quickly as possible - including 12 initiatives, only one of which has until now been accomplished with regard to the compact for growth and jobs. Van Rompuy called on them to pick up pace and summon up the necessary political resolve to implement their promises.
According to provisional draft conclusions, the EU27 should recognise, in a specific chapter, that progress has been achieved on the Single Market Act 1 but that more effort is needed to complete the outstanding proposals. The Single Market Act 2 - presented by Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services Michel Barnier on 3 October, and which provides for 12 other legislative and non-legislative actions by the end of 2013 - will also be welcomed by the leaders who should engage on this too to rapidly implement these 12 measures. The completion of the single digital market by 2015 and the interconnection of transport networks should also feature in these conclusions as important engines of economic growth. (SP/transl.fl)