The Internal Market Scoreboard published by the European Commission shows that the number of incorrectly transposed directives directives in average compliance deficit has fallen. However, after the increase recorded in May and November 2011 (1.2%), the European average transposition deficit is now back to 0.9%, i.e. below the target agreed by the European Heads of State and Government in 2007.

Member states have succeeded in reducing the number of incorrectly transposed directives, according to the latest European Commission's Internal Market Scoreboard. Thus, this average compliance deficit has fallen from 0.8% six months ago to 0.7% today, coming closer to the 0.5% deficit proposed in the Single Market Act in April 2011. In March 2011, Member States also did better in the objectives towards a real Single Market. Nonetheless, after the increase recorded in May and November 2011 (1.2%), the European average transposition deficit – the percentage of Internal Market Directives that have not been written into national law in time – is now back to 0.9%. In this exercise, sixteen Member States have achieved the 1% target.

Latvia, Estonia, Luxembourg and Lithuania are the best overall performers, when all enforcement indicators are taken into account. Italy accounts for the highest number of infringement proceedings launched by the Commission, followed by Greece and Belgium. In total, eight Member States achieved or equalled their best result ever: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Latvia and Malta. This illustrates the high priority given by those Member States to timely transposition.

With regard to Single Market Governance, in its Communication on Better Governance for the Single Market, the Commission requested the Member States to commit to 'zero tolerance' when it comes to transposition of directives and it announced that it will use its enforcement powers more vigorously and requested the cooperation of the Member States to ensure that breaches of EU law are swiftly brought to an end within eighteen months, or twelve months in case of second referral. In future editions, the Internal Market Scoreboard will monitor the compliance of these new benchmarks.