Select Committee on European Scrutiny Eleventh Report


10 Single Market Scoreboard

(28361)

5990/07

SEC(07) 151

Commission Staff Working Paper: Internal Market Scoreboard No 15 bis

Legal base
Document originated1 February 2007
Deposited in Parliament13 February 2007
DepartmentTrade and Industry
Basis of considerationEM of 23 February 2007
Previous Committee ReportNone
Discussed in CouncilNo date set
Committee's assessmentPolitically important
Committee's decisionCleared

Background

10.1 The Commission produces a "Single Market Scoreboard" every six months. Each Scoreboard reports on the extent to which, during the preceding six months, Member States have "transposed"[31] Internal Market Directives into national law without delay or inaccuracy. It also reports on the number of cases in which the Commission has initiated action against Member States for the incorrect application of Internal Market legislation.

10.2 The European Council has set Member States two targets for transposition:

  • the percentage of Directives not notified to the Commission as having been transposed as a proportion of the total number that should have been transposed should not exceed 1.5% ("the transposition deficit"); and
  • the transposition of no Directive should be more than two years overdue.

The document

10.3 Scoreboard 15 bis reports on the second half of 2006 and is in two parts. The first considers progress in achieving the transposition targets. The second is about the number of cases where, in the Commission's opinion, Member States have not transposed Internal Market legislation correctly or have not applied it correctly.

10.4 The Commission reports good progress. In the second half of 2006, the transposition deficit of the 25 Member States taken together fell to 1.2%. This is the first time ever that the rate has been below 1.5%.

10.5 The UK improved its transposition deficit from 1.3% in the first half of 2006 to 0.7% in the second half. This made the UK's performance the sixth best in the EU.

10.6 There may be two reasons for the improvement in the transposition deficit. First, there were fewer Directives to be transposed in the second half of last year. Second, Member States increased their compliance with the 2004 Commission Recommendation on transposition.[32] The Commission made 23 specific recommendations for action. In the second half of last year, the average number implemented by Member States rose to 17; the UK had implemented 19.

10.7 The Scoreboard reports that 11 Member States were in breach of the target for no Directive's transposition to be more than two years overdue. The UK had two Directives whose transposition was over two years overdue. This was an improvement; in the Scoreboard for the second half of 2005, the UK had four which exceeded the target.

10.8 There was an increase in the number of cases in which the Commission began infringement proceedings either for incorrect transposition or incorrect application of Internal Market legislation. In the second half of 2006, the average number of cases was 50 per Member State. The number for the UK was 57, nine less than for the second half of 2005.

The Government's view

10.9 The Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs at the Department of Trade and Industry (Mr Ian McCartney) says that, although the Scoreboards have no direct policy implications, they have proved extremely useful as a means of evaluating developments and as a spur to improved performance. The Government supports the continued use and development of the Scoreboard. The Minister also refers to the improvements in the UK's performance.

Conclusion

10.10 We share the Government's view about the importance of these reports. Accordingly, we draw Scoreboard 15 bis to the attention of the House and clear it from scrutiny.


31   That is, implemented EC legislation through national law. Back

32   See OJ No. L 98, 16.4.05, p.47. Back


 
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