Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – Single market act II: together for new growth

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Single Market. A lot has been achieved: from 1992 to 2008 the Single Market has generated an extra 2.77 million jobs in the EU and an additional 2.13% in GDP. For European consumers the Single Market means more choice at lower prices - a 70% reduction in mobile phone costs is but one example. For citizens, the Single Market has given them the capacity to travel freely, to settle and work where they wish. For young people it has opened up the opportunity to study abroad – more than 2.5 million students have seized this opportunity in the last 25 years. For the 23 million companies in the EU the Single Market has opened access to 500 million consumers. The message is clear, the evidence is there: a strong, deep and integrated Single Market creates growth, generates jobs and offers opportunities for European citizens which were not there 20 years ago.

The development of the Single Market is a continuous exercise. The Single Market must respond to a constantly changing world where social and demographic challenges, new technology and imperatives, and pressure on natural resources and climate change must be incorporated into policy thinking. The economic and financial crisis has generated additional challenges and has emphasised the need for fundamental structural reforms. With persistent high unemployment, in particular among young people, and a part of the European population living in poverty, the economic crisis is also a social crisis. We need to address this crisis with urgency, ambition and resolve. Failure to do so would increase the risk of Europe and its Member States turning inward and could undermine the confidence in the European project.

Since the adoption of the first Single Market Act in April 2011, the Commission has presented proposals for its twelve key actions and for 36 of its 50 complementary actions. This Communication builds upon the first Single Market Act and identifies four drivers around which to focus key actions:

1. Developing fully integrated networks in the Single Market;

2. Fostering mobility of citizens and businesses across borders;

3. Supporting the digital economy across Europe;

4. Strengthening social entrepreneurship, cohesion and consumer confidence.

EUR-Lex: COM(2012)573: Follow the progress of this document through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2012:573:FIN

ESO: Background information: Brussels tries to deepen EU single market http://www.europeansources.info/record/brussels-tries-to-deepen-eu-single-market/

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