Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-09-04-Speech-2-010"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20070904.3.2-010"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, honourable Members, since the Commission published its interim report in February, we have had some very productive discussions on the single market review. Now the work moves into top gear, with the Commission expecting to publish to its conclusions in November.
The single market is a joint undertaking and we must work together to deliver it, always conscious of the needs of citizens. This means building on successful projects such as SOLVIT and offering citizens better assistance in solving the cross-border problems that they encounter. It also means pressing ahead with new tools such as the Internal Market Information System to strengthen cooperation between the Member States. I firmly believe – as you do – that close partnerships will be the key to our success.
Let me welcome an interesting suggestion in your report – the idea of an ‘internal market test’ for all new measures. This is an element that is strongly present in our ‘better regulation’ mechanisms, the importance of which cannot but be underlined. If we find that new proposals will actually hinder the flow of people, goods, services and capital – and thereby jeopardise the single market – then we must acknowledge this and ask whether we need to change course, before anyone gets hurt!
Now let me move on to our shared policy priorities for the single market. In its interim report to the Spring European Council, the Commission highlighted a number of directions for the future single market. Let me choose examples among the areas which I know best.
Your report rightly points to retail financial services as an area where the single market can go further. I believe Europe can help citizens to get a better deal across the board: in mortgages, insurance, payment cards, bank accounts and elsewhere.
On 19 September, the Commission will host a hearing in Brussels to find out more about the priorities of all stakeholders. I invite all of you who are interested to attend.
Let me also introduce a new issue to the debate, and one which should feature in the Single Market Review, which is e-government. All Member States are delivering more services electronically, reducing costs and making them easier for citizens to access. But while this creates opportunities, there are challenges we need to confront.
Let me give a couple of examples. Firstly, on e-procurement. We must ensure that national authorities, in adopting technologies and security standards, do not create purely national e-procurement markets. Similarly, in preparing for the implementation of the Services Directive, Member States must have common systems so as to be able to exchange information securely.
A final word on the international dimension, which, I was delighted to see, is prominent in your report. This Commission is committed to maximising Europe’s global influence and building strong ties. So, as well as broadening and deepening our dialogues with the United States and Japan, we are also holding summits with China, India, Russia and Brazil.
These global dialogues allow us to learn more about our partners, to advocate our values and standards and to resolve issues of bilateral interest and create new commercial opportunities for Europe’s firms. In short, the external dimension is a vital part of our internal market policy.
So to sum up, I am in the happy position of agreeing with you on the priorities for the Single Market Review – both on how we deliver the single market, and on the policy areas that will most benefit citizens.
I would like to thank the members of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, particularly the rapporteur Jacques Toubon, for assembling an impressive package of recommendations and proposals. I would like to thank members of Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs for their clear and constructive contribution to the report. The Commission is also grateful to the political groups, which have been closely engaged, and produced policy papers of high quality. As with all good reports, I also note that on some issues there are differences of opinion or emphasis.
And of course I would be delighted to return here once we have adopted the Single Market Review to present our conclusions and discuss with you the way forward.
Let us briefly consider what is at stake. The single market is home to 500 million citizens and over 20 million businesses. Since its inception in 1992 the single market has raised Europe’s output by over 2% and created nearly three million new jobs. Europe’s prosperity and its external influence are great achievements. To sustain these we must keep moving the single market forward. It would be a mistake to take any of this for granted. We must maintain Europe’s competitive edge for Europe’s businesses and especially for its citizens. We cannot sustain a Europe which provides high-quality public services in health, education and social care without an economy which is fundamentally sound. So at this point let me spell out our central theme: the need for all of us – the Commission, Parliament and the Member States – to show leadership and courage in our reforms.
The review of the single market is an essential part of the efforts of this Commission to deliver a Europe of tangible results and deliver its ‘citizens’ agenda’. Big challenges remain in the single market. Let me give some examples.
On postal services we are moving towards a final package for full market opening. In the field of energy policy, Commissioner Piebalgs will shortly present proposals to build a single European energy market. Commissioner Kuneva is leading a wide-ranging review of Europe’s consumer protection laws. We are working with you and the Member States to create a framework for a European patent.
Piece by piece each single market reform matters, but taken in the round their importance is even greater. The single market of today – this vast, dynamic, open market – is the product of all these difficult reforms, all these difficult decisions we have made.
In short, the continued success of the single market – its potential to improve the living standards and social conditions of all Europe’s citizens – requires us to show leadership and courage not just in setting a vision of the future, but in making the very real, and often difficult, policy choices facing us today.
But let me return to the review itself and pick out a few highlights: first, on how we work – how we deliver single market policy – and, second, on our shared policy priorities.
In terms of how we work, we all know – and your draft report makes this clear – that we must strengthen partnership and ownership. So Parliament’s call for stronger networks of cooperation is music to my ears."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples