Brussels, 04/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - Ironically, a fitter, stronger internal market comes indubitably through legislative slimming down, according to EU competition ministers.
In addition to adopting conclusions calling for smart regulation and, above all, a cut in red tape, on Thursday 4 December, ministers held a policy debate on how best to achieve economic integration.
They frequently called on European Internal Market Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska not to bring forward any new legislation but rather to ensure that existing rules are properly applied so as to consolidate the single market. In their firing line were the services directive and e-procurement, along with non-legislative instruments, such as mutual recognition of national laws. All the ministers laid great emphasis, too, on the single digital market and several, largely from the “peripheral” countries on interconnecting transport and energy networks.
The commissioner told ministers that she would present a report on barriers to the internal market next year.
Legislative trimming. The conclusions adopted on smart regulation are particularly interesting. Without EU regulation that is “transparent, simple and achieved at minimum cost”, the single market cannot work properly, ministers point out. They call for the EU institutions to “enhance efforts to reduce the overall regulatory burden”. Thus ministers fully support the REFIT programme for reducing legislation (occasioning the threat of the withdrawal of legislative proposals, such as on maternity leave). They further call on the European Commission to set reduction targets in those areas where the administrative load is particularly heavy. This is above all to help SMEs and micro-enterprises. In addition, ministers call on the Commission without fail to present impact assessments at an early stage in the legislative process and they stress, too, that impact assessments should not be used as “an instrument causing undue delay or hinder the legislative process”.
Mixed reactions. The conclusions brought a reaction of astonishment from the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), which is unhappy that ministers fail to make a single positive comment on European legislation. The ETUC is against reduction targets, which are a threat to “good laws” that protect workers, consumers and the environment. EUROCHAMBRES, on the other hand, was delighted that smart regulation and the “think SME first” principle were becoming priorities for member states, too. (MD)