Members of the JURI and the IMCO Committee joined in a debate with Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska. In the discussion, she took up some points from the Commission’s new Single Market Strategy. The services passport shall be a voluntary tool for service providers that want to operate across borders. With the help of an initiative, regulated jobs shall be reviewed with regard to their proportionality and Member States shall reform them in accordance with prescribed guidelines. Recommendations and a Communication are presented in the sector of participatory economics, which shall explain how existing EU law can be applied to this sector. Finally, she also pointed out that services are only covered by 2 % of the European standards and announced a comprehensive initiative for modernising the Standard System.

Lara Comi – Report

In further consequence, the report by EPP MEP Lara Comi on this Single Market Strategy came to the vote in the European Parliament. In her report, she emphasized the importance of the European Single Market and welcomed the initiatives presented by the Commission. SMEs, cutting red tape and the services passport are among the main parts of her report. However, the shadow rapporteur of the S&D faction had already pointed out in the Committee that issues relating to the subjects of the REFIT Platform, the social economy and services have unfortunately not been included in the Report. In particular the services passport is being critically judged. Finally, the votes in the plenum were 423 in favour and 92 votes against with 54 abstentions.

The position of the AK on the Single Market Strategy is available here.

Digital Single Market – New Commission proposals

This week, the Commission also published a number of measures in respect of the Digital Single Market. These should allow consumers easier access to cross-border products by ensuring that they are no longer discriminated against because of their nationality or their place of residence or establishment when shopping online and to enable them to benefit from lower prices and a greater choice based on a Directive on cross-border parcel delivery. Further measures concern online platforms and a review of audiovisual media services.

Further information:

Committee documents

Communication of the Commission on the Single Market Strategy

AK Position Paper

Press release of the Commission on the Digital Single Market I

Press release of the Commission on the Digital Single Market II

Proposals of the Commission:

Proposal for a Regulation on addressing geo-blocking and other forms of discrimination based on customers' nationality, place of residence or place of establishment within the internal market

Proposal for a Regulation on cross-border parcel delivery services

Proposal for a Regulation on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws

Communication on Online Platforms and the Digital Single Market Opportunities and Challenges for Europe

Proposal for an updated Audiovisual Media Services Directive

Guidance document on the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive