Single market, 2nd scoreboard, May 1998: progress of the action plan SMAP

In adopting the report drafted by Mr. José GARCIA-MARGALLO Y MARFIL (EPP, E) on the 'Single Market Scoreboard', the Parliament congratulates the Commission on the Scoreboard, which it considers to be an excellent instrument for measuring the state of the implementation of the 'Action Plan for the Single Market'. The Parliament notes that many of the Action Plan's legislative objectives have been achieved (in particular, liberalisation of gas supply and protection of biotechnological inventions) and that several others are in the process of being achieved (including the directives on collective investment funds, and copyright and authors' rights in the information society). It regrets that other measures will not be adopted before the deadline, notably the proposals on free movement of persons and tax harmonisation. Furthermore, given its concern that 15% of the legislation adopted on the Single Market has not yet been transposed in all the Member States, it calls on the Commission and the Council, in their respective spheres, to do their utmost to ensure that as many as possible of the remaining objectives are met by 31.12.98. In particular, it calls on the Council to adopt the Directives on the European Company Statute. It calls on the Commission to draw up, at the beginning of 1999, a new Action Plan aimed at completing, by the end of 2002, i.e. in parallel with the establishment of the single currency, a fully integrated Single Market with the characteristics of a national market. This Plan should comprise an initial phase of one year (1999) for the completion of all the objectives of the 1997 plan which have not yet been achieved, and a second, two-year phase (2000-2001) which would be used principally to establish a common VAT system based on harmonised rates and on the principles of payment at the place of origin, and full freedom of movement of persons. It also recommends that, where the Treaty permits, the use of majority decision-making procedures in the Council in order to facilitate the adoption of legislative measures; in order to avoid the difficulties created by the need to transpose the Directives into national law, the legislative form of the Regulation should be used in preference to that of the Directive. The Commission is called up to draw up for each Member State a complete list of the Directives which have not yet been transposed, with a note on the reasons for the delay, and to publish these lists.�