Internal market: strategy over the next five years

The Parliament adopted its resolution drafted by Ana PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI (EPP/ED, Spain) on the Commission's strategy for improving the internal market. The resolution supports the Commission's strategy, and applauded the innovative switch from a linear approach to an annual Single Market cycle, with its emphasis on target actions with agreed deadlines and a measurable output, which can be reviewed and adjusted. Parliament expressed its concern that businesses are not always aware of the advantage of treating the whole of the EU as a single market . Neither administrative obstacles nor the behaviour of consumers is adequate explanation for this attitude. Mass information campaigns similar to those conducted during the launch of the euro and incentives to encourage cross-border parnerships should be considered. Member States need to review their mechanisms for transposing and implementing internal market legislation. With regard to bank-to bank transfers in euro, the Commission is asked to take steps to ban the levying of fees on Euro-11 inter-bank transfers that are higher than those levied on the national market. The simplification of the VAT system and its direct application to electronic commerce should be speeded up. A European network of alternative dispute-resolution systems should be set up for on-line transactions. With regard to tax, the priority for the Community must be to eliminate distortions to competition which are disrupting the single market. The Commission is urged to ensure the correct implementation of energy market liberalisation and ensure that companies within the Union are not rendered uncompetitive as a result measures on the taxation of energy products.�