EESC adviseert verdere marktintegratie om economische crisis te bestrijden (en)

16 January 2009

On 15 January 2009, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a debate on the internal market, its status and perspectives. Analysing remaining barriers to the free movement of goods, persons, capital and services, especially in times of economic crisis, the EESC adopted three opinions on the Small Business Act, the social and environmental aspects of the internal market, and copyright protection.

In the light of the present economic crisis, Europe's 23 million small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a central role. Supporting them should become a priority for the EU, according to rapporteur, Henri Malosse (Group I, Employers, France): "We have to go back to the spirit of 20 years ago". Considering the European Commission's proposal for a "Small Business Act for Europe" to be far too general and below expectations, the Committee calls for a more ambitious approach that puts forward specific measures, such as:

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  A binding legal instrument governing the application of Think small first;
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  A precise road map (deadlines, means, funding);
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  Specific proposals for European action and specific measures at national level.

With regard to the social and environmental dimension of the internal market, the EESC opinion states that if Europe wants to remain competitive over the long term, the internal market must ensure sustainable and long term growth, which also means taking environmental considerations into account. Rapporteur Andrzej Adamaczyk (Group II, Employees, Poland) called on the EU institutions not to neglect the legitimate interests of businesses and the need to respect the fundamental social rights recognised by EU law, international labour standards and the legislation of the individual Member States, including the right to collective bargaining.

With respect to the protection of copyright and related rights, the EESC opinion recommends the establishment of a single system to harmonise the Member States' rules on protecting the copyright of musical compositions containing the contributions of several authors, in order to avoid problems in the cross-border distribution of royalties. Rapporteur Panagiotis Gkofas (Group III, Various Interests, Greece) is concerned that EU legislation is aimed in general terms at protecting intellectual and related property rights "without taking into account the corresponding rights of users and final consumers".