EU fails to score internal market goal

National efforts to get the EU’s single market working have “stalled” as Europe’s capitals fall behind on implementation, the European commission said on Tuesday.

Brussels hailed a February internal market “scoreboard” showing that the EU was within reach of targets on transposing Brussels legislation into national laws.

But in the first half of 2006, the deficit of unimplemented legislation has risen from 1.6 per cent to 1.9 per cent – leaving behind a 1.5 per cent target.

Malta, Germany and Spain have crossed the line, with the commission singling “lost momentum” in Berlin, the EU’s biggest economy.

The number of member states within the 1.5 per cent threshold has fallen from 17 to 14 with only Denmark, Cyprus, Austria and the UK improving their records.

While new EU member states kept within the 1.5 per cent mark, the commission notes that “performance has slipped”.

Internal market commissioner Charlie McCreevy insisted that his scoreboard was not a “pedantic bureaucratic exercise”.

“When a member state fails to implement laws on time, everyone loses out… real opportunities for growth and jobs are lost.”

“I am disappointed to report that member state efforts have stalled… member states have missed a golden opportunity,” he said.

“The performance of new member states is particularly disappointing… I hope that this is a temporary blip.”

McCreevy is also dismayed at a failure of member states to live up to 2003 promises to cut the number of infringement cases by 2006.

Only five – Belgium, France, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands – have done so. with the number of cases against Italy, the worst offender, rising.

“Behind every infringement case individuals and businesses are being denied their rights,” said McCreevy.

The Irish commissioner, and many of his colleagues, have warned against trends, exhibited in blocked takeovers and national legislation, towards economic protectionism.

But McCreevy does not draw any conclusions from deteriorating EU internal market implementation and 2006 rows over “economic nationalism”.

“I am a little reluctant to make that deduction,” he said. “But I do think it does show that member sates are not anxious and do not have it at the top of the agenda.”

“That may be something that is worrying; that many member states do not feel that having a pretty perfect internal market, and transposing laws that they have agreed themselves, is so important.”

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