On Wednesday 7 December, the European Commission and the Czech Presidency of the EU Council launched a conference in Prague to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Single Market.
The two-day event will be an opportunity to take stock of the market’s political achievements, and lessons learned over the past three decades. The second day will focus on the challenges of the future, in particular on the role that the Single Market could play in the context of the dual green and digital transition and the many crises that have shaken Europe in recent years (pandemics, war, supply disruptions, etc.).
The European Commission has planned a busy calendar of events for 2023, to celebrate the 30th anniversary. From January to April, the institution intends to launch an extensive communication campaign on social networks to promote the Single Market. On 16 and 17 January, the European Parliament will hold a debate on the Single Market.
On 25 January, the institution will present a communication. A dedicated forum will be held on 2 May. A parallel travelling exhibition will be on the road from April to December 2023. From 17 to 21 April, the Single Market will be in the spotlight at the Hannover Fair, the world’s largest trade fair devoted to industrial technology. This commemorative year will end in the fourth quarter with the organisation of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) Annual Conference and the SME Assembly.
The slow deepening of the Single Market, particularly in the area of services, remains a bone of contention between Member States (see EUROPE 11995/6). In addition, the market was severely tested during the Covid-19 pandemic (see EUROPE 12452/14).
Since then, the European Commission has presented numerous legislative instruments to ensure the functioning of the Single Market, especially in times of crisis, such as the Single Market Emergency Instrument (see EUROPE 13072/28). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)