Monti chides states for poor record

Date: 23/11/1995

Fiona McHugh

INTERNAL Market Commissioner Mario Monti has gone on the attack over the failure of member states to fully implement single market rules.

Commission officials said Monti would stress that very few member states could be proud of their performance and would call on governments to “accelerate their efforts” at a meeting of single market ministers today (23 November).

His criticism comes in the wake of the latest set of Commission figures showing how many of the single market measures approved by the Council of Ministers have been transposed into national law.

The figures reveal that Austria is the laggard of the Union, with only 87.8&percent; of the single market laws adopted by the bloc transposed into its national law.

Close behind comes Germany, which scored a low 88.2&percent; in the implementation league. Given its firmly pro-European public stance, this low figure is likely to be greeted with dismay by some of the Federal Republic's more diligent European partners.

Denmark, for instance, has transposed 99.1&percent; of the measures in the 1985 Internal Market White Paper, despite its image as one of the EU's most Eurosceptical nations, and the UK is in a respectable seventh place in the implementation league.

All in all, there has been virtually no change in the charts since last year.

Sweden and Finland, both of whom joined the EU with Austria just 11 months ago, won words of praise from the Commission for their “good progress”.

Most barriers to the single market were detected in the public procurement sector, where nine of the EU's 15 members face legal action for their failure to transpose single market rules properly. Insurance is another area which has been causing problems, notably in Spain and Greece. Their failure to tell the Commission about how they plan to implement insurance directives means that they may find themselves in the dock at the European Court of Justice.

Only seven member states have transposed measures which would allow doctors, lawyers and other professionals to work anywhere in the Union, while directives creating a level playing field in the new technology/audio-visual sector have not been transposed adequately yet, according to the Commission.

Monti is expected to underline the need for quality implementation of rules at today's meeting and warn ministers that the Commission will not hesitate to take member states to court for inadequate transposition.

He will tell ministers that a final batch of single market laws, such as those needed to eliminate internal border controls, must be passed and existing laws must be vigorously enforced.

He is also likely to stress the need for the single market to adapt to technological changes, prepare for further enlargement and protect itself from threats posed by monetary disturbances.