EU Single Market

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

Better governance for the Single Market - guide — 14 June 2012, 16:44 CET

The European Commission is proposing to focus efforts on sectors with the largest growth potential. In 2012-2013, the sectors identified are services and network industries. In these areas, the Commission calls on EU Member States to commit to zero tolerance for late and incorrect transposition of Directives. The Commission, for its part, says it will provide enhanced transposition assistance in order to smooth out potential problems. In case of infringements, procedures should take no more than 18 months on average (currently 25.5 months) and Member States should comply with Court rulings within 12 months. To make the Single Market work more effectively, the Commission recommends making better use of IT tools to empower citizens and businesses. It calls on Member States to strengthen problem-solving tools and set up Single Market Centres to better monitor how Single Market rules work.

Single Market Governance - guide — 28 February 2012, 00:02 CET

Last April, the Commission adopted the Single Market Act. It identified 12 key areas with the most growth potential in the Single Market and associated new proposals to exploit untapped potential. Today, the Commission presented an update of these efforts aimed a delivering growth, social progress and competitiveness.

Consultation on the future of European company law - guide — 21 February 2012, 00:14 CET

The European Commission has launched an in-depth consultation on the future of European company law. Europe needs a company law framework that is adapted to the needs of the society of today and to the evolution of the economic environment. EU company law has played a central part in building the single market. The Commission says it is now time to see whether today's needs are still met by the existing legal framework. An on-line public consultation paper has been launched to collect comments from all stakeholders. The deadline for sending contributions is 14 May 2012.

Proposal for a Regulation on the Statute for a European Foundation - guide — 08 February 2012, 22:49 CET

The European Commission has presented a proposal for a European Foundation Statute to make it easier for foundations to support public benefit causes across the EU.

EU standardisation strategy - guide — 02 June 2011, 14:27 CET

The standardisation strategy presented by the European Commission on 1 June 2011 plays an important part in supporting the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Measures include actions to be taken by the Commission and a series of recommendations addressed to other actors in the European standardisation system. Funding to support standardisation activities will remain a major driver for the development of standards whose primary function is to support EU policy making. The following actions form the core of the standardisation communication.

Intellectual Property Strategy - guide — 25 May 2011, 00:09 CET

Intellectual property rights (IPR), which comprise patents, trademarks, designs and geographical indications, as well as copyright (authors' rights) and rights related to copyright (for performers, producers and broadcasters), have been around for centuries. Often, without our even realising, they affect our daily lives: they protect the technology we use (cars, mobile phones, trains), the food we eat and the music we listen to or the films we watch. But in the last few years, technological change and, in particular, the growing importance of online activities, have completely changed the world in which IPR operate. The existing mix of European and national rules are no longer adapted and need to be modernised. That is why the Commission has adopted today a comprehensive strategy to revamp the legal framework in which IPR operate. Our objective is to enable inventors, creators, users and consumers to adapt to the new circumstances and to enhance new business opportunities. The new rules will strike the right balance between promoting creation and innovation, in part by ensuring reward and investment for creators and, on the other hand, promoting the widest possible access to goods and services protected by IPR. Getting this balance right will make a real difference to businesses (from the individual artist working alone to the big pharmaceutical companies) by encouraging investment in innovation. This will benefit the EU's growth and competitiveness which is delivered through the single market. Consumers will benefit from wider and easier access to information and cultural content, for example online music. The strategy deals with many issues to ensure IPR are covered comprehensively - from the patent a business needs to protect an invention to tackling the misuse of such inventions via a proposal also adopted today which will strengthen action on counterfeiting and piracy. Among the first deliverables of this IPR overall strategy are today's proposals for an easier licensing system for so-called "orphan works" that will allow many cultural works to be accessible online, and for a new regulation to reinforce customs actions in fighting trade of IPR infringing goods.

The Machinery Directive — 30 April 2011, 00:09 CET

CE Marking legislation which covers safety requirements for machinery sold within the Single Market

Single Market Act - guide — 14 April 2011, 12:55 CET

Europe must act to create more prosperity and jobs. And it must do this urgently in the wake of the financial crisis. That is why the European Commission adopted the Single Market Act, a series of measures to boost the European economy and create jobs.

The Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive — 31 March 2011, 13:52 CET

EU CE Marking legislation which covers electromagnetic compatibility of certain products

Online gambling in Europe - guide — 24 March 2011, 14:46 CET

On-line gambling is a fast developing business in Europe, with almost 15,000 websites already identified and total annual revenues exceeding EUR 6 billion in 2008 and expected to double in size by 2013. National legal frameworks vary enormously across the EU, with different rules applying to licensing, related on-line services, payments, public interest objectives, and the fight against fraud. In order to ensure legal certainty and effective protection of EU citizens in this fast-growing cross-border service activity, it is important to evaluate how possibly differing models can co-exist within the Internal Market. The primary aim of the Green Paper consultation, launched today, is therefore to obtain a facts-based picture of the existing situation in the EU on-line gambling market and of the different national regulatory models. The Commission seeks the views of stakeholders and wishes to collect detailed information and data on key policy issues such as organisation of on-line gambling services and enforcement of applicable laws; consumer protection and other relevant public policy challenges as well as commercial communications and payment services. Contributions to the consultation, which can be submitted until 31 July 2011, will determine the need for and form of any EU follow-up action in this field. Expert workshops on specific themes will be organised to complement this consultation.

Linking business registers across Europe - guide — 03 March 2011, 13:43 CET

The Commission adopted on 24 February a proposal to interconnect business registers within the EU. Company registers provide company information that is essential for consumers and business partners alike, such as information on a company's legal form, its seat, capital and legal representatives. Today's proposal will help to facilitate cross-border electronic access to business information, by ensuring business registers are updated, and business information is more easily and readily accessible. These changes are crucial for companies when setting up branches, conducting cross-border trade or providing cross-border services in the EU. Business registers are currently organised at national, regional or local level, and lack the capacity to share information in an efficient and transparent manner. The proposal will now pass to the Member States and the European Parliament for consideration.

Late Payment Directive — 03 March 2011, 14:31 CET

A summary of the new Late Payment Directive aimed at tackling the problem of late payment for goods and services.

Low Voltage Directive — 03 March 2011, 13:29 CET

The Low Voltage Directive forms part of the CE Marking system and covers certain low voltage products.

Internal Market Information (IMI) system - guide — 23 February 2011, 00:29 CET

The European Commission is taking action to help citizens and businesses to benefit fully from the opportunities offered by the Single Market by publishing a strategy to improve governance of the single market. The expansion of the Internal Market Information (IMI) system to other areas of EU law such as, potentially, gambling and e-commerce1 will help to achieve this. IMI is a multilingual online application that allows national, regional and local authorities to communicate quickly and easily with their counterparts elsewhere in the EU. By December 2010, nearly 6 000 authorities were using this system where they can assist each other in order to, for example, process applications from foreign professionals, grant permissions or check that cross-border service providers comply with security obligations.

Product Labelling — 01 February 2011, 23:36 CET

A summary of the EU product labelling rules for goods sold within the Single Market.

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, 21:09 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.

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.