In times like these, when Schengen is at stake, the European Single Market - which includes free movement of goods, services, people and capital - is more than ever a key part of European integration. "As former European Commission President Jacques Delors famously put it, 'you don't fall in love with a Single Market', but it remains indispensable for job creation and growth, and for making the everyday life of European citizens, consumers and businesses easier, safer and of better quality", pointed out the President of the Province of Mantova (Italy). "Further economic and structural reforms are now needed to remove barriers, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises", he added.
In his draft own-initiative opinion on Upgrading the Single Market, which was overwhelmingly welcomed by CoR members, the rapporteur puts forward a series of key requests to the European Commission:
- Include a 'Single Market' pillar in the European semester;
- Include criteria for classifying a sector as a "priority sector" in the framework used by Member States to review existing regulations on professions or propose additional ones;
- Lower the ceiling of EUR 700 million in the voluntary ex ante assessment mechanism for procurement for large-scale infrastructure projects;
- Consider a review of the Services Directive - also in relation to the sharing economy - based on continuous evaluation of its implementation, and present a proposal to improve the notification procedure as outlined under this directive;
- Making a reference to the social economy as well as the steel industry, as the challenges faced by these sector relate to many aspects of the Single Market Strategy.
Alessandro Pastacci also expresses his regret that the Commission Communication does not put forward any proposal relating to Services of General Economic Interest, for example, in relation to quality requirements notably with regard to social and territorial cohesion.
Moreover, he criticizes the intention of the Commission to grant China a market economy status by the end of 2016 without appropriate analysis of the economic, social and territorial impact on the Single Market.
