Marché unique: la Commission agit pour faciliter son fonctionnement pratique et améliorer le respect des règles  

La Commission européenne présente aujourd’hui des mesures pour permettre aux particuliers et aux entreprises de régler plus facilement leurs formalités administratives en ligne, que ce soit dans leur propre pays ou lorsqu’ils travaillent, vivent ou font des affaires dans un autre pays de l’Union européenne. Les propositions visent également à assurer un meilleur respect des règles européennes. Jyrki Katainen, le vice-président en charge de l’emploi, de la croissance, de l’investissement et de la compétitivité, a déclaré: “Les règles de l’UE protègent 500 millions de personnes au sein du marché unique et leur offrent la possibilité de vivre, de travailler et de faire des affaires dans n’importe quel pays de l’Union. Tout cela n’est possible que si les règles sont respectées. Les propositions présentées aujourd’hui contribueront à développer une culture du respect des règles. Elles permettront également aux particuliers et aux entreprises d’avoir pleinement accès aux procédures et à l’information en ligne, à la fois dans leur pays d’origine et à l’étranger.” Elżbieta Bieńkowska, commissaire pour le marché intérieur, l’industrie, l’entrepreneuriat et les PME, a ajouté: “Aujourd’hui, nous mettons à disposition des outils concrets pour le marché unique. Le portail numérique unique constitue aussi une incitation forte pour moderniser les administrations publiques par la mise en place d’ambitieuses stratégies d’administration électronique axées sur l’utilisateur. Par ailleurs, le nouvel outil d’information sur le marché unique SMIT contribuera à renforcer l’action de la Commission en matière de contrôle de l’application de la législation, de manière à ce que les droits des citoyens liés au marché unique soient dûment respectés et que les entreprises européennes se heurtent à moins d’obstacles lors de l’extension de leurs activités et de l’entrée sur de nouveaux marchés.” Le train de mesures est composé de trois initiatives concrètes adoptées aujourd’hui par la Commission: le portail numérique unique, l’outil d’information sur le marché unique (SMIT) et le plan d’action SOLVIT. Un communiqué de presse, un MEMO et une fiche d’information sont disponibles.(Pour plus d’informations: Lucia Caudet – Tel.: + 32 229 56182; Maud Noyon – Tel.: +32 229 80379; Mirna Talko – Tel.: +32 229 87278)

European Youth Week 2017 encourages young people to contribute to the debate on the future of the EU and of EU youth action

The eighth edition of European Youth Week is currently taking place with a broad range of events from 1 to 7 May and activities organised in all 33 countries participating in the EU’s Erasmus+ programme. With the slogan “Shape it, move it, be it”, it encourages young people to get involved in the discussions on the future of EU youth policy, to move abroad with Erasmus+, and to be part of the newly launched European Solidarity Corps which gives opportunities to young people to express their solidarity with those in need. Already more than 28,000 young people have signed up to the European Solidarity Corps and first participants already started their placements. A proposal for a dedicated legal base to consolidate and further shape this new initiative is scheduled for adoption on 24 May. Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics, will take part in the official launch event of the European Youth Week, a two-day European Conference on future EU Youth Strategy, in Brussels tomorrow. Already today, he will have a meeting with a number of young people and representatives of youth organisations to prepare these discussions. Commissioner Navracsics said: “With our current cooperation with Member States on youth policy drawing to a close in 2018, we need to reflect on the future. We want to hear the views of everyone involved in EU youth affairs to make sure that cooperation in youth action delivers, enabling young people to find their place in society and build the Europe of the future. I look forward to exchanging ideas on our future youth strategy during Youth Week and for the rest of the year.”During the week the spotlight will be on the inspiring stories of change-makers and their projects under Erasmus+ that encourage more young people to take part. (For more information: Nathalie Vandystadt – Tel.:+32 2 296 70 83; Inga Höglund – Tel.: +32 229 50698)

Discover an EU-funded project near you: the 2017 “Europe in my Region” campaign kicks off

Visit an aquaculture research centre in Ílhavo, Portugal, a language school equipped with the latest IT equipment in Split, Croatia, or take a guided tour in Vienna to spot and visit EU-funded projects in the city. The “EU in my Region” campaign starts today and throughout May, hundreds of EU-funded projects open their doors to the public; find one near you on this interactive map. Photo and blogging competitions are also organised so that citizens can share their experience. Commissioner for Regional policy Corina Crețu said: “Open your eyes and you will see that the EU’s Cohesion Policy is everywhere around you, working for a better quality of life in your region and city. There are so many success stories out there and everyone needs to tell them. Not just us, in the EU institutions, but also Member States, local authorities and people, those who found a job, who got a training opportunity or access to broadband thanks to Cohesion Policy. Let’s do this together.” Find more details on the campaign here. (For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 229 56186; Sophie Dupin de Saint-Cyr – Tel.: +32 229 56169)

Parliament approves budget implementation in 2015

On 27 April, the Parliament gave the final approval, known as ‘discharge’, to the way in which the European Commission implemented the EU budget in 2015. The discharge is an EU mechanism for transparency and accountability. It is granted by the European Parliament on a recommendation from the Member States in the Council. This annual procedure enables the Council and the European Parliament to keep the management of the taxpayers’ money under democratic control. Apart from approving the Commission’s accounts and its handling of the EU budget, the vote also signals the European Parliament’s strong support for the drive to further increase the effectiveness of EU budgetary spending, through the Commission’s ‘EU Budget focused on Results’ initiative. The Commission is responsible for implementing the EU budget in cooperation with Member States in line with the principles of sound financial management. (For more information:Alexander Winterstein – Tel.: +32 229 93265; Nicole Bockstaller – Tel.: +32 229 52589)

State aid: Commission approves the sale of three Italian bridge banks to UBI Banca

The European Commission has approved under EU state aid rules the sale of three Italian bridge banks Nuova Banca Marche, Nuova Banca Etruria and Nuova Carichieti to Unione di Banche Italiane (UBI Banca). The Commission has assessed the integration plan by UBI Banca, which would turn around the three loss-making bridge banks by fully integrating them into UBI Banca and thus enabling their return to viability. This will also avoid undue distortions of competition. The three bridge banks were created in November 2015 when the Bank of Italy decided to put Banca delle Marche, Banca Popolare dell’Etruria e del Lazio and Cassa di Risparmio della Provincia di Chieti into resolution. The Commission concluded that the process for the sale of the three bridge banks, conducted by the Italian authorities, was open and competitive and selected the best available bid. The purchase by UBI Banca of the three bridge banks depended on their remaining non-performing loans being sold to a third party. In that context, the resolution fund injected additional capital of €810 million into the three bridge banks and granted a set of guarantees for risks related to the acquired entities. The Commission concluded that the measures were in line with EU state aid rules. The Commission’s approval was based on the Commission’s 2013 Banking Communication that have been in place unchanged since August 2013. More information will be available in the state aid register on the Competition website under the case numbers SA.39543 (Banca delle Marche), SA.41134 (Banca Popolare dell’Etruria e del Lazio)and SA.43547 (Cassa di risparmio della Provincia di Chieti). (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 229 80100; Yizhou Ren – Tel.: +32 229 94889)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of M.K.M. Building Supplies by Bain Capital Investors

The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of M.K.M. Building Supplies of the UK, by Bain Capital Investors of the US. M.K.M. Building Supplies is a building materials merchant, with 47 branches across England and Scotland. Bain Capital Investors is a private equity firm. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would not raise competition concerns because the companies are not active in the same markets and market shares in all vertically linked markets remain limited. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure. More information is available on the Commission’s competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.8432. (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 229 80100; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526)

Eurostat: Mars 2017 – Le taux de chômage à 9,5% dans la zone euro – À 8,0% dans l’UE28

Dans la zone euro (ZE19), le taux de chômage corrigé des variations saisonnières s’est établi à 9,5% en mars 2017, stable comparé à février 2017 et en baisse par rapport au taux de 10,2% enregistré en mars 2016. Il s’agit du taux le plus faible enregistré dans la zone euro depuis avril 2009. Dans l’UE28, le taux de chômage s’est établi à 8,0% en mars 2017, en baisse par rapport au taux de 8,1% de février 2017 et à celui de 8,7% de mars 2016. Cela demeure le taux le plus faible enregistré dans l’UE28 depuis janvier 2009. Ces chiffres sont publiés par Eurostat, l’office statistique de l’Union européenne. Un communiqué de presse est disponible ici. (Pour plus d’informations: Christian Wigand– Tel.: +32 229 62253; Sara Soumillion – Tel.: +32 229 67094)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

EU-Jordan: Brussels’ high-level meeting for strengthening trade, business and investment opportunities in Jordan

Tomorrow, the European Union and Jordan will hold a high-level meeting in Brussels to further strengthen the bilateral trade and investment opportunities. The event will bring together high profile actors from the EU and Jordan. It will be an opportunity to raise awareness of the business opportunities available to Jordanian companies under the new more flexible rules of origin for access to the European market agreed in 2016. In July last year, the EU decided to simplify the rules concerning the use of foreign components to allow more Jordanian products benefit from import duty discount upon imports into the EU. Products that can benefit from better access to the EU market include textiles, engineering and electrical appliances, chemical and plastic products, as well as furniture and other wooden products. The initiative aims to support Jordan’s economy in midst of the Syrian refugee crisis and to complement Jordan’s own efforts to increase economic activity and create sustainable jobs for both Jordanians and Syrian refugees. The meeting is part of a longer-term EU engagement to support private sector development and investment in Jordan. The entire event will belive streamed. Commissioners Cecilia Malmström and Johannes Hahn will represent the Commission and, together with Mr Yarub Qudah, Jordan Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply, will hold a press point at 16:00 at the VIP corner of the Berlaymont building. A dedicated press release and an updated factsheet on EU support to Jordan will be available online tomorrow. (For more information: Maja Kocijancic – Tel.: +32 229 86570; Daniel Rosario – Tel.: + 32 229 56185; Alceo Smerilli – Tel.: + 32 229 64887; Kinga Malinowska – Tel.: +32 229 51383)

Commission discusses with stakeholders financing investments in a sustainable blue economy

Key stakeholders in sustainable business and investment are coming together in Brussels to discuss investment needs in the blue economy and what financing can do to ensure the sustainability of such investments. The meeting is taking place at the initiative of the European Commission, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Prince of Wales’ Charities International Sustainability Unit (ISU) with the joint ambition of safeguarding the health of our ocean, whilst understanding what approaches are needed for the ocean to sustainably support livelihoods, food security and jobs well into the future. According to projections from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), by 2030 the output of the ocean economy, roughly €1.3 trillion globally, could more than double. Karmenu Vella, Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, commented: “I firmly believe that future investments in the blue economy – whether by public or private institutions – should ensure environmentally and socially sustainable outcomes and a science-based management of ocean and coastal resources. The active involvement of financial institutions in contributing towards healthy and productive ocean will be indispensable.” In the coming decade, sectors such as marine energy, aquaculture, tourism and transport could offer significant investment opportunities but we need to determine how economic development in the ocean is undertaken whilst ensuring that the health of the ocean’s assets are sustained and improved. The discussion is part of the Commission’s wider efforts to engage with the private sector and NGOs with a view to generating commitments on sustainable ocean use for the ‘Our Ocean 2017‘ conference, hosted in Malta by HRVP Mogherini and Commissioner Vella, from 5 to 6 October 2017. (For more information: Enrico Brivio – Tel.: +32 229 56172; Iris Petsa – Tel.: + 32 229 93321)

Upcoming events of the European Commission (ex-Top News)

Antonio TAJANI, Hans-Gert PÖTTERING, and Hans Walter HÜTTER

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Proposals to regulate private security firms, a blacklist of countries linked to money laundering and the opportunities and challenges of the sharing economy are just some of the topics covered by Parliament committees this week. In addition the House of European History will be officially launched this week, while the Parliament opens its door to the general public in Brussels.

On Tuesday afternoon, the  foreign affairs committee votes on recommendations on how to strengthen oversight of private security companies operating in EU countries, as well as in EU missions abroad. Some of them have been repeatedly involved in incidents resulting in injury or even the loss of life.

On Wednesday the economic committee votes on a proposal by the European Commission to update a blacklist of countries linked to money laundering and terrorism financing. In January MEPs rejected a similar proposal because it did not include countries that facilitate tax evasion. According to EU anti-money laundering rules, citizens and firms of the listed countries who want do business in EU countries have to be submitted to stricter checks.

Press Freedom Day is held on Wednesday and to mark it members of Parliament’s human rights subcommittee discuss the state of press freedom on Thursday morning, with a focus on the growing threat of fake news.

The internal market committee votes Wednesday on a report on the sharing economy, which is when people offer products or services directly to other people using online transactions. Some well-known examples of this include Uber and Airbnb. The report being dealt with by Parliament assesses the benefits it brings, such as new jobs and more choice for consumers, but also looks at the issues it raises: workers’ rights, taxation and consumer protection.

On Thursday Parliament President Antonio Tajani inaugurates the House of European History, a museum dedicated to European integration and Europe’s recent history. The new museum will open to the public on 6 May.

Parliament opens its doors to the public in Brussels on Saturday, an opportunity for people to learn more about Parliament and the EU ahead of Europe Day on 9 May.

Jyrki Katainen, Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, said: “EU rules protect and empower 500 million people in the Single Market. They can live, work and do business in any EU country. All of this is only possible when the rules are respected. Today’s proposals will help develop a culture of compliance. They will also help people and companies to have full access to online information and procedures both in their home country and abroad.” 

Elżbieta Bieńkowska, Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, added: “Today we are delivering concrete tools to make the Single Market work better for citizens and businesses, so they can make full use of its opportunities. The Single Digital Gateway is also a strong incentive to modernise public administrations by developing ambitious and user-focused e-government strategies. And the new information tool Single Market Information Tool will further contribute to the Commission’s enforcement work, so that citizens’ Single Market rights are duly respected and EU businesses face fewer barriers when scaling up and entering new markets.“ 

The three concrete initiatives adopted by the Commission today are: 

1: A Single Digital Gateway:In the future, people and companies will have easier access, through a single digital entry point, to high quality information, online administrative procedures and assistance services. Any procedure currently available online for domestic users will be accessible to users from other Member States and in one additional EU language. 13 key administrative procedures will have to be made available online, including requests for a birth certificate, to register a car, start a business or register for social security benefits.According to the “once-only” principle, important data already collected by national authorities will only need to be submitted once and should then be made available to be reused in the most important cross-border procedures at the request of the user. 

The Single Digital Gateway responds to users’ needs in a digital world. It could help companies save more than EUR 11 billion per year, and EU citizens up to 855 000 hours of their time annually. The initiative will benefit those moving to or doing business in another EU country, but also the many people and companies who decide to stay in their home country. It also incentivises Member States to adopt e-government strategies to offer modern and efficient public service. 

2: A Single Market Information Tool (SMIT):

Single Market rights, for people as well as companies, can only be fully exercised if the commonly agreed rules are fit for purpose and correctly applied throughout Europe. To ensure this, timely access to comprehensive, reliable, and accurate market information is crucial. The Commission can already request information directly from companies in the field of competition policy. The Single Market Information Tool will allow the Commission, in targeted cases, to source defined and readily available data (such as, for example, cost structure, pricing policy or product volumes sold) in cases of serious difficulties with the application of EU Single Market legislation. 

This could prove valuable, for example, to collect information on suspected geo-blocking practices, to corroborate information on public tenders, or to obtain data on the pricing and underlying costs of cross-border parcel delivery. Such requests would be a measure of last resort and the information would be handled subject to strict confidentiality requirements. 

3: A SOLVIT Action Plan:

The Commission will build on the success of SOLVIT, a free of charge service which provides rapid and pragmatic solutions to people and companies all over Europe when they experience difficulties with public administrations while moving or doing business cross-border in the EU. The Action Plan aims to increase the use of SOLVIT by making sure that more citizens and businesses can easily access it and by improving data collection so that evidence from SOLVIT cases can be used to improve the functioning of the Single Market. 

Background: 

In 2015, the Commission presented its Single Market Strategy – a roadmap to deliver on President Juncker’s political commitment to unleash the full potential of the Single Market and make it the launchpad for European companies to thrive in the global economy. The Commission has already put forward proposals on e-commerce, guidance on the collaborative economy, steps to modernise the EU’s standardisation policy, a Start-up and Scale-up Initiative, and measures to give a fresh boost to the services sector. 

More information:

Brussels, 29 April 2017

I think that today we will send a very strong message of unity of the 27 Member States, as we did already in Rome on 25 March, 2017 celebrating not only 60 years of successful history of our European Union but also the future of our European integration.

We will discuss issues related to our future partnership with the UK only at a second stage, including foreign affairs and security policy. But I can tell you already that the Brexit will not affect significantly our global work. We will stay, even at 27 in the future, the first market in the world, the first trading partner for all in the world, the first humanitarian and development donor and also a very strong the security and defence provider.

The UK contributes not more than between 3 and 5% to our EU missions and operations in the world. So the impact I expect on that is not that relevant.

But we will aim at a strong partnership for the future relations in a second stage and I am confident we will continue to work closely together also in the future.

See the video on EbS  http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/video/player.cfm?ref=I137774