- “And we have plenty of very nice stories, sometimes difficult stories of real, concrete problems. Citizens were solved. Are they again in a strategy we call member states to help solve it? Centers to help colleagues who work in member states. And this is not only about a number of, you know, people who work. Of course, this is very important, but also also, you know, expertise, also power. And internally somehow, if you can call it power, because these people internally try to convince very different authorities to to to look. A bit from from the single market perspective. To change maybe a bit of rules that this is also very important. We are doing very important job for single market in member states and and trying to promote. And this is really where our real single market ambassadors in member states. Uh, yes. And again in Solvit we we solved more or less 85%, 90% of cases. It's solved. So it's quite, quite a lot I would say it's quite nice, but still not everything everything is solved. So they again commission commits when it's not solved we. Yeah. When it's not solved the commission will ensure follow up, uh, launching infringements or even proposing new legislation or discussing new legislation. So it feedback this link between, uh, let's say cooperation but also also real job of the commission substantial work. So thank you very much.”
EU Single Market harmonisation · EU competences on consumer protection and product standards
- “I we hope we proposed single market share maybe can help it. But of course it's up to member States to see how we organize, how we do this work. And maybe on single market test. Mr. Schwab, yes, we know Mr. Schwab pushing for this idea. I think we are moving on it. We have now in, in, in, in all, all, all system of better regulation integrated it. Maybe it's not called like this but but the spirit I think is is in already and maybe we can do even more. And if you allow me also in USA, I don't know if you remember. I think you were in in Prague, we had a conference during, during uh, Czech presidency and it was an academician, academia representative from us, somebody who was doing study about single market. And I was personally very surprised how he was positive about our single market. And he was saying, basically, you know, we are not bad in the US. We have problems. It's not always visible. But what I heard from his for me was quite new because we are very demanding ourselves and it's very good. Our business, our politicians, demand. If you want to fix things in single market in us, it's more or less accepted. And just like this. So I think we are not so bad. We are doing things, but definitely we need to do much more. Thank you.”
EU Single Market harmonisation
- “Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. And it's a honor to me. Of course. Speaker. After professor Monti. It's it's. And I would like to thank you all, especially Imco, a very important committee for your attention to enforcement. It is not easy area. You have a lot of colleagues working on on this area from the commission, but also from member states. And this work is very often very, quite difficult. Not always visible on concrete details. And this is thank you again for your attention. Political attention to this issue is definitely very important one. Uh, I think in a strategy we have, uh, it's a set, I would say even set and certain shift. And I think our vice presidents don't always explain quite clearly, but we'll focus more on concreteness, on concrete barriers and concrete problems. And this is even more important now, are more applicable for enforcement, really solve concrete problems and and focus on on not less holistically, not directly, but on problems a citizens business have in a single market. How respect their rights with respect to business rights and freedoms. And uh, I have normally presentation. Yeah. First slide please. Uh, so in the, in uh, please first slide in a strategy we explained, um, we presented the enforcement on implementation, let's say word enforcement. I would say it beyond it also implementation three blocks. Definitely infringements are important. Definitely important infringements also very important and crucial.”
EU Single Market harmonisation · EU restrictions on unfair commercial practices
- “And it's possible more mutual recognition. At the same time, it's very important also for our green policy. Of course this type of things can be done, but of course we need to be quite granular. Go ahead and be very concrete. Now, uh, in a strategy and a lot of calls from stakeholders to reinforce single single market enforcement task force. So what strategy propose also to member States to have also discussion of this very concrete barriers. Also more high level to have ministerial meetings of single single market task force, let's say. And also because sometimes it's a real discussion inside of member states, between different authorities, between different areas. So also have a bit more political discussion of this concrete, concrete barriers. But also even more important, I would say, and it maybe sounds a bit technical, but also the Commission commit to follow up different actions from single market task force. And we see, as I said at the beginning, free, free, free these free pillars. So then this copyright cooperative tool will not achieve together something. If we have no results. Next step will be the commission will take actions. It can be infringement of course, if it's if it's if it's a infringement if it's real problem with legislation. But if it's not I'll also discuss about about new, uh, new, let's say policy areas, new legislation maybe, or change legislation. So this is I think it's a very strong commitment from the commission.”
EU Single Market harmonisation · EU restrictions on unfair commercial practices
- “We do them and we need to enforce them. But many real barriers happens when member states or authorities, member states implement on the ground. And it's not always not necessary infringement of our rules. Sometimes just because it's implemented in different ways in different member states creates a barrier. So we need to look. And when we talk about enforcement implementation, look to all these, these areas. And and they're very strong in a, in a, in a, in a in a strategy of this ownership of member state ownership is very important. And ownership is of course, very important. When members take our common rules, commonly agreed rules and implement correctly. But probably not only this. Also when implementing different strategies, different policies in different areas. Also think about single market. Also think about how it will affect, you know, enterprises from different member states. How will affect citizens from other other member states and to find solutions, real solutions which allow to implement different policies, different strategies in different areas, but also respect single market rules. This is possible. So if I talk now on second slide please. If I would tell a few words maybe about this single market enforcement task force, which was developed uh, four years ago already, not so new thing, but but four years ago we worked together. There is still common work, joint work with member states together with member states, uh, to try and we develop this kind of method.”
EU Single Market harmonisation · EU restrictions on unfair commercial practices
- “Trying to identify very concrete barriers, very concrete problems. Businesses or citizens have a working single market. And we try really to find the solutions. Good good practices. And member states or single market members as the member states. Officials who are responsible for single market member states for Ministry of Economy, mainly from Prime Minister's Office. Sometimes we are coming back and we are trying to implement trying to convince authorities to implement these different practices, which still allows us to achieve the policy goals, different policy goals, but but also to, to to ease a bit of life of of of of citizens and enterprises in the single market. And we are quite transparent. I think every year we publish publish a report. Now what is of course important. And this is of course again, it's possible. What I'm saying sometimes we have this the impression that it's a kind of opposition between different policies, green policy or social policy and single market. Then when you look in the barriers, when you look how it's implemented in the ground areas, very often examples, we have quite a lot of examples in the reports. Then you can find the balance right. Balance. You can still achieve green policy at the same time uh promote single market for example. Now instead we're working on a bio solutions biopesticides how to ease process of of of permitting of these Biopesticides.”
EU policy on pesticides · EU Single Market harmonisation
- “Look at this, uh, The result of smart work and follow up. For example, you have an example we discussed quite extensively with supply constraints. We discussed with member states. I think we did our job. Member states raise a lot of awareness with really deep discussion. And the conclusion was that we need some actions at European level. And this you have seen now in a strategic commitment from the Commission to continue this work. Second tool, which is second slide. Next slide. Uh, much more older. That's quite known. Uh, solve it, solve it. I think many of you know, it's a network of members of of solvit centres in member states which deals with concrete complaints from, from citizens and businesses. Uh, when we work, we do business, work, travel, cross-border. And this is 20 years already, and we have every year, at least around 3000 cases solved very concrete problems from member states solved from from citizens and businesses solved. They gain a real, real good example of cooperation in member states. As I said, we have solved centers Solvit centers are in in the ministries. It's a civil service for member states, and we are really trying to work together and solve. And I can tell you it's a real network and it's real. We have meetings with them, real European spirits. It's really colleagues from member states who are really trying to help people.”
EU Single Market harmonisation · EU competences on consumer protection and product standards
- “When can exchange, when can exchange information between them without asking and giving burden. Uh, for, for, for um, you know, business uh, in even still implementing, you know, different policies and social policy or green policy, but still still this, this. So these tools are important. Digital product passport also probably will help us because we have a problem business. Tell us about packaging. Yeah we need to repackage every time you send to another member states of course the burden. So but of course we need to respect consumers. So digital product password somehow. Well but again there is a lot of integrity, a lot of work behind it which needs to be done on member states. Yes, a lot of member states. This idea of single market share again, of course, is a natural discussion. But what we see very often in member states. You have a bit of neat discussion also on single market, because sometimes we have a discussion of single market people in member states, which are very supportive, single market you have there. But when you go to concrete areas, concrete sectoral areas, we somehow forget single market. So internal or single internal discussion with member states, a bit of discussion, just open discussion to see how you balance with different interests.”
Re-use of packaging · EU Single Market harmonisation · Product passport
- “And this is a Garden of treaty. Role of the commission. But it's not enough. We see not enough. And basically we present this, these different tools in three blocks of prevention collaboration and and correction. Correction is enforcement real enforcement infringements. So all these three blocks, all this means different means should work together. And it's not to focus on one and another, but together. Very often we can prevent barriers. It's better to prevent. And if we can do quicker it's prevention. Different tax notification procedures although not go in details. There are collaboration together with member states, authorities, member states, uh, friends of single marketing member states. Let's say we try to solve and we solve quite a lot of problems together, and we find solutions. So this can be done quicker. And of course, if it's not possible, if you cannot sort it, enforcement infringements and then start, you have quite clear commitment from the Commission to to accelerate procedures and also to focus to focus these actions in more, important areas, strategic areas, more strategic enforcement. I was asked a bit more talk to them about this collaboration. Collaboration tools and notably about Smart and Solvit is to two specific tools which really collaborative work together with member states. And I think in general, it's a bit illusory to think that we can solve everything by legislation. Of course, our rules, common rules are very important.”
EU Single Market harmonisation · EU restrictions on unfair commercial practices
- “Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much again for Professor Monti, who was always giving our directions, but also for for members of the Parliament who made a lot of important points and definitely a lot of reflections we need to do still on maybe on the priority strategy. I would like to say is a strategy. Of course. It's really the short document and the strategy. Again, we've come back to implementation. So we need to implement it. As always enforcement implementation is important and I hope we will bold as much as possible. Still a lot of details and I'm afraid yes we'll need to work on nitty gritty. So still a lot of things. So I hope we have this and this terrible ten. Of course it's also a bit attract attention, but also it shows our strategy, our priorities also, and probably especially when we talk about enforcement and also single market, we need to priorities I think also extremely important. The points on digitalization, let's be honest. Also when we prepare strategies we discussed, maybe digitalization should be the same chapters enforcement because it's linked. And we really hope and we think about digitalization in general, of course, can help enforcement and can help enforcement to make more efficient and implementation especially. Yeah. So you have tools as a single digital gateway or once only principle when really helping citizens business to to to submit documents. And once this type of things also we have internal market information system which allows very easy cooperation between different authorities in very concrete areas and very concrete problems.”
EU Single Market harmonisation · Digitalization of public governance & administration