10 Single Market Scoreboard
| (28361)
5990/07
SEC(07) 151
| Commission Staff Working Paper: Internal Market Scoreboard No 15 bis
|
| Legal base | — |
| Document originated | 1 February 2007
|
| Deposited in Parliament | 13 February 2007
|
| Department | Trade and Industry
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| Basis of consideration | EM of 23 February 2007
|
| Previous Committee Report | None
|
| Discussed in Council | No date set
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
|
| Committee's decision | Cleared
|
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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