The future Polish Presidency has asked the EESC to develop an exploratory opinion, as deepening the integration of the services sector in the EU is one of the planned priorities of this Presidency; therefore the opinion could be useful in the context of the discussions foreseen at the COMPET Council on 6 March 2025. As the single market for services is still incomplete - even after the 30th anniversary of the single market itself - the opinion aims at providing a diagnosis of this issue and an analysis of the significant untapped potential of this sector.
Download — EESC opinion: The services sector in the European Union
Already in 2018 the European Commission has proposed a Regulation on a mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context for the programming period 2021-2027. At the time, the EESC has adopted its opinion on 19 September 2018, and the European Parliament adopted its first-reading position on the proposal in February 2019. However, the Council's working party on structural measures decided to cease work on the proposal in May 2021. In October 2022, to break the impasse and take the lead on this issue, the EP's Committee on Regional Development started drawing up a legislative-initiative report, calling on the Commission to present a new legislative proposal. The EP voted the report at its September 2023 plenary session.
Petru Sorin DANDEA (Workers - GR II/Romania), Tommaso DI FAZIO (/Italy), Petr ZAHRADNÍK (/Czech Republic)
The EESC strongly supports the Commission's proposal – Next Generation EU – as a specific tool for a quick and effective recovery.
The EESC takes a very positive view of the Commission's two main decisions:
to introduce an extraordinary financial recovery instrument as part of the multiannual financial framework
to raise common debt, which will be repaid over a long period of time, and prevent the extraordinary financial burden from falling directly on the Member States in the short run.
The EESC strongly welcomes the fact that the newly proposed instrument should be closely coordinated with the European Semester process, and furthermore welcomes the Commission's proposal to introduce additional genuine own resources based on different taxes (revenues from the EU Emissions Trading System, digital taxation, large companies' revenues).
Download — EESC opinion: Recovery plan for Europe and the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027
The EESC welcomes the proposal to use the passerelle clauses to establish a qualified majority in the Council and a co-decision system with the European Parliament. In this new set-up, the EESC could play an important role in supporting the trilogue and should be involved.
Download — EESC opinion: New institutional framework for energy and climate policy by 2025
The directive on services in the Internal Market was designed to promote competitiveness, growth and employment in line with the Lisbon Strategy. It has, at the same time, triggered an intensive debate on the form to be taken by the freedom to provide services. The effects of the Directive on national labour markets, social conditions and consumer protection requirements remain a highly controversial issue.
Download — Information report: The services directive in the meat processing sector (information report)
