EU Single Market

News and information about the European Union's single market.

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CE Marking — 30 March 2011, 14:42 CET

A summary of the CE Marking process which is required for certain products to be lawfully sold within the Single Market.

EC program to deepen the Single Market for services - guide — 27 January 2011, 17:09 CET

While services currently represent two-thirds of the EU's GDP and employment, they only make up for around one-fifth of total intra-EU trade. Today, only about 8 per cent of European SMEs do business in other Member States. This lack of dynamism not only hampers choice for consumers, but also prevents small and innovative businesses to grow, develop their activities and become more competitive. To unlock this potential of the Single Market for services by 2012, the European Commission has today adopted a set of targeted actions to tackle remaining problems. The Services Directive aims precisely at removing unnecessary and burdensome obstacles to trade in services in the Single Market. One year after the implementation deadline, the Commission and the Member States have completed an assessment of how the Directive has been implemented on the ground. The results of this so-called "mutual evaluation" exercise conclude that, while much has been achieved so far, the Single Market for services is not yet delivering its full potential.

EU ban on illegally-harvested timber — 28 December 2010, 20:09 CET

The EU has enacted new legislation aimed at those who place timber or timber products on the Single Market. This new legislation bans the sale of illegally-harvested timber and imposes a new system to track its source.

Single Market Act - guide — 28 October 2010, 23:18 CET

The European Union’s Single Market is the cornerstone of more than 60 years of European integration. Barriers that once stopped goods and services from freely flowing from Lisbon to Helsinki have been torn down. Companies now benefit from a market of 500 million consumers. Consumers travelling abroad have seen dramatic cuts in mobile phone charges. A single currency has made shopping and travelling abroad effortless. Workers now benefit from extensive rights. People can work, study and live anywhere in the EU’s 27 Member States. While Europeans can be proud of these achievements, businesses and citizens also know that hurdles still exist when they exercise their rights. The European Commission set out a series of concrete solutions in two reports published today to boost the single market. In the EU Citizenship Report, the Commission proposes measures to make peoples’ lives easier when they exercise their EU rights to get married, buy a house or register a car in another EU country. To boost growth, competitiveness and social progress, the Single Market Act calls for action to make the lives of all market participants – companies, consumers and workers – easier.

Overview of Competitiveness in 27 EU Member States — 28 October 2010, 12:55 CET

The Europe 2020 Strategy puts forward as a key priority for the Union the promotion of a more resource efficient, greener and more competitive economy. This Memo presents an abridged look at industrial competitiveness in all 27 EU Member States drawn from the report Member States competitiveness performance and policies. The main objective is to analyse industrial competitiveness across the Union and to present the policy measures Member States carry out to improve their competitiveness and, by implication, the competitiveness of Europe as a whole.

Poland must stop violating EU rules on internal gas market: EU — 14 July 2010, 18:31 CET

The European Commission has sent a request to Poland to stop the violations of the EU rules creating a Single Market for gas after Poland imposed an obligation on gas importers to store a certain percentage of gas in the country.

EU to increase investor protection in EU investment fund market — 03 July 2010, 00:48 CET

The European Commission has today completed a programme of improvements to the EU framework for investment funds. The new rules better empower investors by requiring a new standardised fund document, while also setting out in detail the high standards of conduct of business that investment fund managers must comply with.

EU contract law to smooth Single Market for businesses — 01 July 2010, 22:35 CET

The European Commission proposed today options for a more coherent approach to contract law. The goal is to bring more legal certainty for businesses and simpler rules for consumers.

Euro-MPs call for food price transparency — 28 June 2010, 22:13 CET

New legislation is needed to ensure fair returns to farmers and transparent prices to consumers, by enforcing fair competition throughout the food supply chain, said the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee on Monday.

New EU trust label to make e-trading more reliable — 24 June 2010, 22:03 CET

The European Parliament's Internal Market Committee approved today new proposals for a European trust mark to encourage cross-border e-trading by building consumer trust.

Euro-MPs urge application of common EU energy rules — 09 June 2010, 17:08 CET

The EU should accelerate the application of common energy policy rules, and the policy itself must aim to improve competitiveness, security of supply and sustainability, concluded a joint meeting of over 250 MEPs and MPs from EU Member States in Brussels on Tuesday.

Country by country breakdown of 15th Progress Report on European Telecoms Market 2009 — 25 May 2010, 23:52 CET

The European Commission's latest (15th) annual report on the Single European Electronic Communications Market shows that consumers, businesses and the EU economy as a whole are denied the full economic benefits of a truly single and competitive EU-wide telecoms market because of inconsistent application of EU telecoms rules. The report indicates that most Member States' markets have become more competitive, but remain national in dimension and that the level of competitiveness varies strongly between Member States. This is why the Commission's Digital Agenda for Europe calls for swift and consistent enforcement of existing telecoms rules and indicates that the Commission intends to propose appropriate steps to reduce the cost of the absence of a Single Market in telecoms services.

Lack of progress on single EU telecoms market hurts consumers — 25 May 2010, 23:55 CET

Consumers, businesses and the EU economy as a whole are denied the full economic benefits of a truly single and competitive EU-wide telecoms market because of inconsistent application of EU telecoms rules,according to the European Commission's annual report on the Single European Electronic Communications Market.

EU mulls improvements to European contract law — 22 May 2010, 17:39 CET

The European Commission, seeking to boost cross-border trade and to ensure strong rights for consumers, convened a new expert group to propose ways to improve contract law in the European Union.

EC report looks to relaunch single market — 13 May 2010, 22:46 CET

A Commission-sponsored report has called for a replacement for the Lisbon strategy which, according to EP president Jerzy Buzek, has not been a success.

Latest trends in SMEs access to finance and EU financial instruments - Briefing — 07 May 2010, 08:44 CET

Latest trends in SMEs access to finance and on the financial instruments under the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme.

Commission to ease bottlenecks to financing of smaller businesses — 07 May 2010, 08:47 CET

To address the difficult financing situation of SMEs, EU Commissioners proposed today to upgrade the SME Finance Forum into a high-level dialogue between financial institutions and SMEs. The SME Finance Forum 2010, being held in Brussels today, focuses on new strategies for improving access to finance for SMEs.

Sweden told to comply with EU cosmetics rules — 05 May 2010, 22:52 CET

The European Commission has taken further steps against Sweden for infringing EU law on cosmetic products by introducing excessive requirements in the notification of such products.

Commission action makes setting up business in Ireland easier — 05 May 2010, 22:50 CET

Following changes to Irish legislation that remove obstacles to setting up a business in Ireland, the European Commission has closed its infringement case.

Progress on services directive too slow, say Euro-MPs — 28 April 2010, 23:34 CET

The hotly contested services directive was due to be implemented in national law by 28 December 2009. This Tuesday, four months after the deadline, MEPs and members of national parliaments held a meeting in Brussels to discuss whether the EU Member States have done their duty in this regard.

MEPs suggest amendments to the Directive on falsified medicines — 07 April 2010, 09:58 CET

The European Parliament's Internal Market Committee published yesterday an Opinion suggesting improvements to the Directive on medicinal products, as regards the supply chain of falsified medicinal products.

EC acts against 12 Member States on implementation of EU rules — 18 March 2010, 22:35 CET

The European Commission has taken action against a total of 12 Member States on implementing EU Internal Market rules in the areas of acquisitions in the financial sector, pension funds, shareholders’ rights, and anti-money laundering.

In-depth examination of insurance against natural catastrophes, announces Barnier — 11 March 2010, 16:29 CET

The Commission is to carry out an in-depth examination of insurance schemes covering national catastrophes, in particular flooding, announced Michel Barnier, European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, yesterday, 9 March, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

"Internal market test" needed for new EU legislation, say MEPs — 10 March 2010, 18:21 CET

The EU's internal market was put under scrutiny today, 9 March, when Members of the European Parliament debated a series of reports in their plenary session in Strasbourg. They concluded that there is no conflict between consumer rights and an economically efficient single market: they reinforce each other. This is the key message of three resolutions approved by Parliament that look at EU law on consumer protection, the internal market and the SOLVIT system for settling consumer disputes.

Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection — 17 February 2010, 13:20 CET

Responsibilities, contacts and latest studies of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection