Press Release: Internal Market: Commission acts to ensure 14 Member States implement EU laws

The European Commission has decided to pursue infringement procedures against 14 Member States for failure to implement in national law one or more of five different Internal Market Directives. The Commission will refer Slovenia and the United Kingdom to the European Court of Justice over non-implementation of a Directive on institutions providing occupational pensions. The Commission will also refer Portugal to the Court over non-implementation of a Directive on reorganisation and winding up of credit institutions. Meanwhile the Commission has decided to formally ask 12 Member States - Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom - to implement a Directive on resale right in the area of copyright. These requests take the form of "reasoned opinions", the second stage of the infringement procedure laid down in Article 226 of the EC Treaty. If there is no satisfactory reply within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice. In addition, the Commission has decided, under Article 228 of the EC Treaty, to send letters of formal notice asking the United Kingdom for full information on its execution of a European Court judgement concerning the implementation of a Directive on recognition of professional qualifications for the territory of Gibraltar, and asking Luxembourg for full information on its execution of a European Court judgement concerning implementation of a Directive on accounting rules. Finally, the Commission welcomes the fact that all Member States have now implemented the Directive on legal protection of biotechnological inventions.