The Internal Market Strategy for Goods and Services

The EESC:

• calls for green economy sectors to be given an important place in the implementation of the single market, promoting sustainable market models for production and consumption, by continuing to implement the principles of the circular economy and to tackle climate change by studying new indicators;
• considers it necessary to step up efforts in the gas and electricity supply sector, and to apply the subsidiarity principle to energy storage distribution between different Member States;
• proposes that The Worker Mobility Package be geared towards removing all obstacles to the free movement of workers, while maintaining high levels of security
• advocates closer coordination between social security systems, with the introduction of welfare bodies whose functions are recognised at European level,
• believes that the Treaty must be implemented in full with regard to workers' rights to information and consultation, and calls for greater worker involvement in business governance;
• is convinced that greater efforts are needed to increase product safety and boost market surveillance, especially with regard to scams in the digital market; to this end, it awaits the development of a collective redress mechanism that works at national and transnational level;
• considers social and collaborative entrepreneurship as crucial to social cohesion, in order to guarantee Europeans more efficient and sustainable economic growth; to this end, the EESC proposes a permanent structure where the various aspects can be explored further;
• stresses the need to improve the effectiveness of the Services Directive and its notification procedures by preventing forms of protectionism and further obstacles to the free movement of services, adopting a sector-by-sector approach to identifying discrepancies and obstacles;
• calls for the launch of a campaign to promote the direct involvement of the public, young people in particular, to be part of what European citizenship means to each individual;
• calls for the creation of a crafts and apprenticeship Erasmus within the European single market, which will enable young craftsmen and women, and apprentices, to experience the unity of the European internal market and to exchange experiences and expertise.

Other relevant EESC opinions:

• The Single Market Act - identifying missing measures (INT/688)
• Single Market Act II (INT/655)
• Key Actions towards a Single Market Act II (INT/648)
• Inclusive digital Internal Market (INT/627)
• Single Market Act – Twelve levers (INT/582)
• Single Market Act (INT/548)

For more information please contact the INT Section Secretariat.