Brussels, 01/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - Initially scheduled for 13-14 September, the European Parliament's Internal Market Committee on the services directive in the single market has been postponed until 4-5 October, upon request by the German Social Democratic rapporteur Evelyne Gebhardt. Informal meetings on the issue, the first of which was due to have taken place on Wednesday to try and work out compromise amendments among the political parties, will now be held at the end of September. The vote in plenary, scheduled for 24-27 October, is expected to go ahead as planned. Voting in plenary in November is not seen as desirable because the MEPs will be voting on the REACH chemicals directive at that time.
On 13-14 September, the Internal Market Committee will vote on the draft advisory report by Hartmut Nassauer on REACH. The 5 September meeting in Strasbourg dedicated to the REACH directive will be going ahead as planned.