The ups and downs of the European Single Market

Do you still remember what it was like travelling from one country to another before Schengen was put in place? Have you heard that no roaming charges will exist for calls, texts and data downloads within the EU from 2017 on? Do you know you can travel abroad to seek treatment and have that treatment reimbursed at home? And that we have almost 50% more routes connecting the Single Market countries since 1992? And that flying became 41% cheaper in the eight years following the establishment of the Single Market?

These are all the successes of our Single Market. But the struggle has not been negligible and many obstacles still persist.

Strenghtening European confidence in the Single Market by abolishing barriers

Last week, the EPP Group hosted a hearing in the European Parliament at which entrepreneurs, amongst others, voiced a concern that the Single Market is far from being completed. It is not just entrepreneurs, however, that meet very concrete barriers in the Single Market, it happens to consumers too.

How?

According to data gathered by the European Commission, a serious threat to the functioning of the Single Market stems from perceived barriers, a disbelief Europeans have in its success.

A serious threat to the functioning of a Single Market stems from perceived barriers, a disbelief Europeans have in its success

One third of respondents said they were concerned that personal data may be misused when buying online, while every fourth respondent was worried that his or her payment card details may be stolen. Every fourth consumer expressed a fear of receiving the wrong or a damaged product and feared high return shipping costs.

The main obstacles still fall under the categories of a lack of harmonised e-commerce VAT, cross-border trade and cross-border discrimination. Consumers are often faced with a refusal to be sold a product, are charged more by foreign sellers and can't stream content online

Consumers also continue to face concrete barriers in practice, however. The main obstacles still fall under the categories of a lack of harmonised e-commerce VAT, cross-border trade and cross-border discrimination. Consumers are often faced with a refusal to be sold a product, are charged more by foreign sellers and can't stream content online. Research indicates that nearly half of respondents who wanted to watch films, TV series or sport events online (43% and 51% respectively) reported not being able to access the content when abroad.

This is wrong. These numbers are too high.

The Single Market - untapped potential for jobs and growth

The Single Market has brought substantial benefits. Yet there remains an equally substantial untapped potential. It is safe to say its benefits have not fully reached consumers.

We want the Single Market to help improve European competitiveness, ease labour markets and not introduce barriers to intra-EU trade

Against the backdrop of the latest migration crisis in Europe, one thing has become clear: the Single Market and the preservation of the freedom of movement are intimately connected. If, for nearly 20 years now, we have been working towards tearing down the barriers that divide us, we should now also avoid building new ones.

We, the biggest group in the European Parliament, want the Single Market to help Europe grow, not suffocate under a bureaucratic burden. We rely on it to create new jobs, to boost the economy, rather than slow down the process of free movement. We want the Single Market to help improve European competitiveness, ease labour markets and not introduce barriers to intra-EU trade.

If, for nearly 20 years now, we have been working towards tearing down the barriers that divide us, we should now also avoid building new ones

Our Group is in favour of common European rules and against Member-State procrastination when it comes down to the implementation and enforcement of what we have pledged to do.