EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Technology

"The Single Market is the beating heart of the EU. In the 25 years of its existence it has brought enormous benefits to EU citizens and businesses. For the Single Market to stay fit for purpose, we need to look after it properly. Today we are proposing a new program to further increase the positive impact on Europeans,” said Elzbiea Bienkowska, EU Commissioner for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs.

Vera Jourova, EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, added: “We need to ensure that consumers are able to benefit from their rights. This means providing them with practical advice on consumer issues and removing dangerous products from the market. This is what the new Single Market Program will achieve. For the first time, we will also fund collective redress procedures, as we announced in the New Deal for Consumers."

Vytenis Andriukaitis, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said he was pleased that the food safety pillar is one of the main beneficiaries of the New Single Market Program. “This is the recognition of the importance of securing the smooth functioning of the internal market in food products, by preventing and when necessary combating animal and plant diseases that can have major consequences for public health and the EU economy. It allows us to strengthen further our efforts in the areas of animal welfare, food waste and the fight against fraud," the EU commissioner said.

Representatives of the European Commission informed that the new Single Market Program is intended to empower and protect consumers. The new program will guarantee the enforcement of consumer rights, ensure a high level of consumer protection and product safety and assist consumers when they encounter problems, for example when shopping online. It will also facilitate consumers' access to redress, as proposed in the New Deal for Consumers.

Building on the success of the current program for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME), the Commission is proposing to strengthen the support given to small business to scale up and expand across borders.

EU citizens will continue to have access to safe and high-quality food in the integrated European Single Market. Under the new program, funding will support the safe production of food, the prevention and eradication of animal diseases and plant pests, and the improvement of animal welfare in the EU. It will also promote market access for EU food producers, contribute to exports to third-countries, and significantly support the agri-food industry as a leading sector of the EU economy.

The program will strengthen cooperation between Member States and the Commission to ensure that EU rules are properly implemented and enforced. The program will also support European standardization organizations in developing up-to-date and future-proof standards.

The program will help the Commission to further enhance its IT tools and expertise that it uses to effectively enforce competition rules in the digital economy (i.e. to respond to market developments such as the use of big data and algorithms) as well as to strengthen cooperation between the Commission and Member State authorities and courts.

The program will provide funding to national statistics institutes for the production and dissemination of European statistics which are indispensable for decision-making in all policy areas.

The Single Market allows Europeans to travel freely, study, work, live and fall in love across borders. They can buy what they want, where they want, and benefit from greater choice and lower prices. European businesses – large and small – can expand their customer base and exchange products and services more easily across the EU. Simply put, the Single Market is Europe's best asset to generate growth and foster competitiveness of European companies in globalized markets.

The new Single Market Program follows the Commission's vision for the next long-term budget proposed on 2 May 2018. It is a modern, simple and flexible program which consolidates a large range of activities that were previously financed separately, into one coherent program. This will reduce overlaps and improve cooperation. Ultimately, it will ensure continuity in the efficient delivery of the Single Market on the ground, while providing better value for money for EU citizens, the European Commission said.