European Union News - Internal Market

The Single Market Week will take place from 15 to 20 October and will bring together policy-makers, social partners, businesses and citizens to discuss the achievements and challenges of the single market. Under the slogan ''Together for new growth'', this year's week marks the twentieth anniversary of the European Single Market.

The European Commission is consulting citizens, businesses and other stakeholders on certain reduced VAT rates, as a part of the wider work being done to fundamentally reform the EU VAT system. The public consultation focuses on three specific areas where reduced VAT rates need to be reviewed.

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.

According to an opinion to be adopted in CoR's next plenary session, the European Commission failed to simplify the current legislation on public procurements. The CoR's Commission for Economic and Social Policy (ECOS) regrets that the European Commission proposals will entail administrative burden, particularly for local and regional authorities.

The Council today adopted a directive establishing a legal framework aimed at improving access to and digitisation of orphan works across the EU. The Italian delegation, however, voted against. The new rules will facilitate the digitisation of and lawful cross-border online access to orphan works contained in the collections of libraries, educational establishments, museums, archives, audiovisual heritage institutions and public service broadcasting organisations.

Antonio Tajani, European Commission Vice President, launched an information campaign across all 27 EU Member States and Croatia, to encourage speedy incorporation of the Late Payment Directive into national law, even before the absolute deadline on 16th March 2013. The Campaign puts particular importance on ensuring that SMEs know the new rights conferred by the directive and how to exercise these rights.

The European Commission announced the shortlist of best entrepreneurship policies 2012. European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA) nominees help people create and grow businesses: technological or traditional, local or international. This year's projects supported entrepreneurs as across Europe they set-up and improve the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) which are crucial to our economy.