Mot gjennomgangen av det indre marked: planlagte tiltak i 2009

Mot gjennomgangen av det indre marked: planlagte tiltak i 2009

Kommisjonens arbeidsdokument: Mot neste års gjennomgang av det indre marked

Arbeidsdokument lagt fram av Kommisjonen 17.12.2008

Nærmere omtale

BAKGRUNN (fra kommisjonsdokumentet, engelsk utgave)

The single market is a unique and proven achievement: "an area without internal frontiers" [1] in which people, goods, services and capital can move freely. It has brought real added value as a means to stimulate economic growth and job creation and also promote wider European social and environmental goals.

Since November 2007, the Commission has been working with all stakeholders to implement a programme of concrete measures to ensure that the single market is up to the job of continuing to deliver for Europe. The Single Market Review [2] put citizens, consumers, and SMEs at the centre of policy-making. It set out to modernise how the single market delivers these results: through more evidence based tools and through partnership with the Member States.

Right now, European and global economies and societies are facing unprecedented challenges. The financial crisis is having a severe impact on the wider economy, feeding into a serious recession. Steering the EU quickly and decisively to sustained recovery depends on our ability to mobilise all available means. That is why implementing the European Action Plan for Recovery and Reform [3], endorsed by the European Council on 12 December, is so important.

At this testing time, it is essential that all Member States reaffirm their commitment to the principles of the single market. A level playing field has proved itself the best basis for governance in the EU, guaranteeing economies of scale, transparency and equal treatment.

The Commission is committed to vigorously continuing to apply these principles, based on the Treaty freedoms. In doing so, the Commission is both fulfilling its core obligations and ensuring the single market remains the EU's most valuable asset today and in the future. The single market, a core pillar of the Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs, gives the European Union a unique launch-pad for economic recovery. Together with the stabilising influence of the euro, it is a vital tool for cushioning the impacts of the downturn on the real economy. A joint and joined-up approach to recovery, in genuine partnership with the Member States, will deliver the best results.

To really get the most out of the single market, we urgently need to continue the work of modernisation and reinvigoration launched under the Single Market Review. In 2009, single market policy will improve the business environment to help firms – in particular SMEs – cope with the recession. It will drive consumer confidence and demand, and take account of the social dimension, in particular during the recession, through policies that offer opportunities, access and solidarity for all.

One year on from the Single Market Review, and in view of the European Council meeting on
19-20 March 2009, this report demonstrates that the considerable progress already achieved is helping to create the conditions to re-launch the European economy.

1 Article 14(2) TEC.
2 COM(2007) 724 of 20.11.2007.
3 COM(2008) 800 of 26.11.2008.