Some weeks ago, a number of our Ministers decided to put pressure on the European Commission in order to “turn the principle of free movement of services into reality”. The message is important. Its first part is of course that at this moment, free movement of services is NOT yet a reality despite the Directives and the solemn declarations. The problems some of you must have certainly faced when you have tried to bring your business out of the borders of your Member State are of course a proof of this. There is the second part of the message though. And this is that there is now a strong wish from a number of countries to make this freedom of movement real, because it can be a major arm against the crisis. Let us know how you feel about it and from our side we will keep you posted!
Ministers from 10 European Union (EU) member states have written to the President of the European Commission to call for “a real effort to strengthen the Single Market for services, and turn the principle of free movement of services into a reality.”
According to the letter, “One of the most important areas where the single market has failed to reach its potential is in the field of services.”
“A business should be able to go anywhere in Europe and provide its services without being confronted with disproportionate and unjustified requirements. Currently, this is not the case,” the letter argued.
The letter stressed that ministers do not advocate lower levels of consumer or worker protection, or lower quality standards for services. Instead, they want to see “smarter and more coherent ways to regulate our markets, in the spirit of better regulation across Europe.”
The ministers explained that, one year after the European Commission presented its Single Market Strategy, they are still awaiting concrete proposals. “There is much scope for a deeper integration of the European services market, and the combined initiatives in the Services Package should be important steps in this integration,” they said.
The letter recommended that the Commission tackle national differences in the regulation of professions, and suggested that “a more harmonized approach on setting proportionate regulation will foster job creation, productivity, competition and lower prices for consumers.”
The letter added that mandatory proportionality tests for professional regulations could deliver tangible benefits, and that the introduction of a European Services Card could remove administrative and regulatory barriers. It further recommended that the interplay between the Services Directive and Professional Qualifications Directive be improved, and that the notifications procedure for new regulatory measures be strengthened.
The letter was signed by ministers from: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.