Brussels, 21/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 21 May, the German presidency presented the Competitiveness Council with a progress report on the legislative package on the free movement of goods, which the Commission brought forward in mid-February (see EUROPE 9366). “Under our presidency, we have managed to guide the debate in a key way,” said German Federal Economy and Technology Minister Michael Glos. “We would have liked to have done a little more,” he acknowledged, hoping that agreement would be reached “under Portuguese presidency”, in the second half of 2007. European Enterprise and Industry Commissioner Günter Verheugen spoke of “some resistance” from member states but said he was “confident” that the legislation would be adopted in first reading before the end of the year. The first reading vote in the European Parliament will take place in November.
The draft regulation, a flagship measure of the legislative package on the internal market, seeks to improve the free movement of goods through greater reliance on the principle of mutual recognition. Under this principle, any goods legally marketed in a member state must be allowed to move freely within the single market. The regulation suggests that responsibility for proving why, under national rules, goods should be withdrawn from the market should lie with the member state for which the goods are destined. Currently, it is up to exporting companies to demonstrate why their goods should be marketed in the member state of destination. (mb)