IP/06/512
Brussels, 20 April 2006
How can the Internal Market best respond to new and future challenges? Are EU policies on the Internal Market the right ones? Are the right rules in place and being enforced? How could they be improved? As part of a wide-ranging review of Internal Market policy, the European Commission has launched a public consultation to give everyone the opportunity to answer these questions and have their say on how the Internal Market should respond to new and future challenges. The consultation aims at stimulating a wide-ranging debate on future policy in the internal market. Citizens, businesses, representative organisations, academics, public administrations and all other interested parties are invited to give their views. The results of this consultation and other related initiatives will help to shape Commission thinking . The consultation document is available at the website indicated below, and contributions should be sent by 15 June 2006.
Internal Market and Services Commissioner Charlie McCreevy said: “The Internal Market is at the heart of the European Union. It has brought great benefits to citizens and to businesses. We should never allow ourselves to take it for granted. And we need to make sure that it is equipped to meet new and future challenges. That is why I am currently undertaking a review of Internal Market policy. It is a very important exercise. To reach the right conclusions, I need to have the best possible information available to me, and I need to know what people really think. This consultation is a first and vital step in the process. I want to hear from as many people as possible. So, whether you are a citizen, a business operator or a consumer, tell me where we are doing well, and where we need to improve. I promise to listen carefully to what you have to say.”
Content of the consultation
The consultation provides an initial assessment of the Internal Market as it is today, discusses possible ideas for future policy direction and puts a series of open questions on these ideas to which everyone is invited to reply.
The consultation paper identifies a number of key challenges - making a reality of the internal market, filling gaps and making it work; responding to globalisation and rapid technological change; and ensuring the support of citizens and businesses.
It also highlights five particular areas for focus:
fostering market dynamism and innovation – how to ensure an innovation-friendly market which business can access quickly; better regulation – how to ensure a high quality legislative and regulatory framework; better implementation and enforcement – how to make the most of the framework already in place; taking better account of the global context – how to ensure a better fit between the internal and external environments; and investing more in information and communication.
Background information
The Internal Market aims to provide free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the EU. It has created millions of new jobs and billions of euros in extra wealth since 1993. However, the Internal Market now faces challenges that are markedly different from those it faced at its inception. This consultation aims to stimulate a public debate on how to respond to those challenges, as part of a wide-ranging review of Internal Market policy.
In parallel to the consultation and also as part of the review, the Commission will run three Eurobarometer surveys on the perceptions of citizens and businesses operating in the Internal Market, and will undertake a more specific assessment of the Internal Market's economic performance. In addition, it will organise a public hearing on 12 September 2006 to discuss key aspects of Internal Market policy in greater depth.
How to take part
The consultation document and a template for replies are available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/strategy/index_en.htm
