Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-02-14-Speech-2-071-000"
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"en.20120214.4.2-071-000"2
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"Mr Harbour just drew our attention to a very important point, which is the feeling that we sometimes have, here in Strasbourg, in Brussels and in the Member States, that there are two wheels turning at the same time: there is the legislative wheel which we in the Commission, Parliament and Council turn together, and there are the national wheels. What I have noticed, Mr Harbour, from my work at local level with these workshops I have just completed, is that we must connect the two wheels, not so that they turn together, but so that they work in connection with one another.
They work in connection with one another when texts are properly transposed. This is basically the case when texts are implemented effectively. This is not yet the case in all Member States. It is especially the case when those for whom we in Parliament, the Council and the Commission are working together to create these texts, that is to say businesses and particularly small and medium-sized businesses, or citizens, are aware of what we do for them, and this is not the case.
That is why, honourable Members, I attach so much importance to these local instruments. Almost two years ago, when you kindly agreed to the Commission’s investiture and questioned me at the hearing, I stated before you that during these five years our ambition, and this is very significant, would be to reconcile small and medium-sized enterprises and EU consumers with the single market. There is a sentiment that this single market was not created for them, and that it is for the big and powerful rather than small enterprises and consumers. We must change that. The Services Directive is one of the instruments which can help us to achieve this, along with a number of structures, the existence of which I am in the process of checking.
The Internal Market Information System (IMI), which will be discussed again and which can also be employed for professional qualifications, allows direct interactive dialogue between local authorities via the Internet. Six thousand administrative bodies are now actively using this system.
There is the Solvit system, which is now functioning properly in almost all Member States, to prevent discouragement and legal action, and to facilitate mediation.
There are also, as Mr Harbour pointed out, the Points of Single Contact which are of great importance and which today exist in all Member States. I think I am safe in saying that there is only one country, Romania, in which the Points of Single Contact are not yet in operation. The Points of Single Contact are, in my opinion, an extremely important tool, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. Naturally, these points of contact must be equipped with essential features such as online and cross-border procedures. This is still far from the case. These Points of Single Contact are in place, but are not yet able to provide the full potential of which businesses are in need.
That is why in 2012, which as I said earlier will be the year of the Services Directive’s full implementation, I will, Mr Harbour, focus efforts particularly on the proper functioning of these Points of Single Contact with modern, digital means and proper information in their regard.
That is another reason why, on Parliament’s initiative, we are going to organise the week for renewed growth together, from 15-22 October, at the same time as the European Week of Small and Medium Enterprises which is being organised by Mr Tajani. Together with the European Parliament, the national parliaments, chambers of commerce, trade unions and any organisations who wish to be involved, we are going to organise a European week on the Single Market Act and on all of the tools that I just mentioned. This will be a full week of people-oriented, rather than technocratic or bureaucratic, information on the single market.
I want us to put a face to the single market, and to men and women who have succeeded and failed through it, and see how we can deal with these failures. That, Mr Harbour, will be the aim of the week which we are going to hold together in October of this year, and during which the focus will be on Points of Single Contact."@en1
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