Veil sets out measures to meet single market goal

Date: 06/03/1997

By Rory Watson

A YEAR-long investigation into the obstacles which prevent EU citizens from moving freely across national frontiers has highlighted a host of problems which must be tackled if the goal of a genuine single market is to be turned into a reality.

The report drawn up by a group of top advisors appointed by the European Commission will call for gaps in existing legislation to be plugged and tougher measures to be taken to ensure rules already on the EU's statute book are applied correctly.

The report, which will be formally presented in two weeks, will emphasise the need to give citizens clear information on their Union rights, ensure member states properly enforce EU legislation and provide suitable training for national and local officials who implement such measures.

“The general impression seems to be that most legislation is in place. The problems come when it is badly applied. People need to know what their rights are and there is a feeling that the message is not always passed down national administrations to people on the front desk,” explained one single market lawyer.

Already, 5.5 million Union citizens live in a member state other than their own, and 250,000 more follow in their footsteps every year.

The panel's recommendations will focus on what are seen as politically feasible initiatives to overcome the problems they face, rather than unachievable pipedreams. They coincide with a renewed Commission drive to complete the single market by January 1999.

Many of the underlying themes identified in the 100-page report drafted by the panel chaired by former European Parliament President Simone Veil will be echoed in an action plan which the Commission will approve after Easter.

Internal Market Commissioner Mario Monti stressed this week that he wanted EU leaders to make legally binding commitments to complete the single market by 1999 when they meet in Amsterdam in June, rather than simply adopting another declaration of principle about its importance.

The Veil group's investigations uncover a host of anomalies which prevent people travelling across national frontiers - and which Union governments will now be under pressure to end.

Among them are the problems faced by individuals who wish to live in another member state but cannot take their pre-retirement pensions with them, since these are non-transferable. Similarly, while some benefits such as widows' allowances are portable, others are not.

The failure to complete the complex matrix of bilateral conventions between different EU member states designed to prevent double taxation also causes difficulties for some.

EU governments will be urged to do more to help people who wish to live elsewhere in the Union, by adopting a more sympathetic attitude to issues such as identity cards and the financial criteria youngsters must meet before studying abroad.

They will also be asked to address the potential difficulties facing the self-employed, who - unlike employees - have no right to remain in another member state if they lose their jobs.

Part of the investigation focused specifically on problems which certain legal third-country nationals, notably those married to EU citizens, still encounter. The group is expected to recommend that they should no longer require a visa to travel from one EU country to another. Nor, if they divorce, should they lose the right to remain in the Union.

The obstacles confronting individuals in moving their personal possessions to another member state are also a major source of complaint. Heading the list is the import of motor cars for personal use.

The completion of the investigation coincides with evidence of a growing desire among citizens to make the most of the opportunities offered by the single market.

Since December, almost half a million requests have been made for Commission-produced guides on citizens' rights.