IMCO - European Parliament

presentation of the Single Market Service Centre

After a projection of short video, the EC representative briefly presented the Governance Tools in the Internal Market among which Your Europe, Your Europe Advice, SOLVIT and Internal Market Information System (IMI). Members praised the progress, and underlined the need to raise awareness and publicize these tools further among citizens and businesses, for example by integrating them in national systems, enhancing knowledge among national authorities and making the tools more user-friendly.

EC representative informed that the Commission plans to further promote the tools through the network of Commission offices in Member States, stakeholders' organisations, Entreprise Network Europe and via social network, will launch an awareness campaign on You Europe in November 2015 and is working on a compliance structure in single market.

Further information
Video: tour of the Single Market Service Centre

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

OPINION on General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2016 - all sections
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection
Ildikó Gáll-Pelcz

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

The next Committee Meeting will be held on Tuesday 22 September (15.00 - 18.30) in Altiero Spinelli (1G3) and Wednesday 23 September (09.00 - 12.30) in József Antall (4Q1).

Since 1 July 2014, IMCO is a paperless committee (no more paper documents available in the meeting room). All documents will be available in the "Meeting documents" section (see links below).

Further information
Meeting documents
Voting lists
Timetables for dossiers
Roll call votes

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

IMCO adopted the draft opinion by Ildikó Gáll-Pelcz (EPP) to BUDG by 26 in favour, 5 against and 1 abstention. The opinion recalls the importance of the Single Market, the consumer policy and the customs union and calls for appropriate budgetary allocations to these areas. Particular stress isput on the future financing of the Single Market Forum (SIMFO), on the funding of SOLVIT, the COSME programme and the Enterprise Europe Network in 2016, the support to the standardisation activities, and the need for financing the multilingual facility for the online dispute resolution (ODR) platform. Furthermore, IMCO backed-up its Rapporteur in suggesting that that the Draft Budget 2016 be restored for the budgetary lines within the IMCO remit where the Council reduced commitment or payment appropriations. IMCO also put forward a new pilot project on consumer empowerment and education on the safety of products and market surveillance in the Digital Single Market.

Further information
Meeting documents
Article: EU's 2016 budget: parliamentary committees determine their positions
Infographics: EU budget explained: expenditure and contribution by member state

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

On 16 July 2015, the Lower House of Japan’s Diet (the House of Representatives) approved a controversial package significantly reducing barriers to the deployment of Japanese defence forces overseas. This is the most significant change to have been made to Japan’s security and defence policy since World War II. The reforms promoted by Prime Minister Abe represent a fundamental shift in Japan’s foreign and security policy since WWII. Abe’s reforms are the logical consequence of a process of revision started more than twenty years ago with the end of the Cold War and later fuelled by the need to contest and contain the rising of China as a regional and global power. These reforms, including the reinterpretation of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, have been undertaken in a context of constantly shifting regional balance in the Asia-Pacific region, where Japan has been increasingly threatened by both China and North Korea. This has prompted a significant upgrade in relations with the US and may pave the way for a new phase of Japanese foreign policy, but also has a negative impact on Japan’s already lukewarm relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Koreas.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Unfair trade practices (UTPs) are practices imposed by a stronger party in a contractual relationship that grossly deviate from good commercial conduct and are contrary to good faith and fair dealing. UTPs are present at a national level, but they can also exert a negative impact on developing trade among Member States, which in turn may hinder the development of the internal market.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

OPINION on new challenges and concepts for the promotion of tourism in Europe
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection
Maria Grapini

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

AMENDMENTS 120 - 197 - Draft report on Towards improved single market regulation
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

study prepared by Policy Department A for IMCO committee on smart single market regulation

This study proposes a consolidated governance system that would serve as a tool for smart Single Market regulation toward 2020 and beyond. It outlines areas for improvement in Single Market regulation through the adoption of performance-based policy concepts; and reviews the scope for making better use of the Single Market governance tools to improve the effectiveness of regulation. The study was prepared for Policy Department A at the request of the IMCO Committee.

Further information
Study: Smart Single Market regulation

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

AMENDMENTS 1 - 54 - Draft opinion European Semester for economic policy coordination: implementation of 2015 priorities
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

presentation of studies in IMCO committee

At the request of the IMCO committee, Policy Department A produced three studies on: - challenges and opportunities in the area of Textiles and Labelling, - TTIP - challenges and opportunities in the area of Customs and - Trade Facilities and Unfair trading practices in the business-to-business food supply chain. A summary of the studies as well as the link to them are below.

The study on challenges and opportunities in the area of Textiles and Labelling analyses opportunitiesand challenges of TTIP for the EU in textile and clothing (T&C). This areadiffers from other industrial sectors in that average tariff levels are relativelyhigh and a number of tariff peaks still exist...

The trade costs associated with customs and otherborder controls become more important as tariff barriers are reduced. The EU isin the process of further modernisation of is customs code This paper on TTIP - challenges and opportunities in the area of Customs and TradeFacilities - is about how to make customs more efficient...

The study on Unfair trading practices in thebusiness-to-business food supply chain gives a summary of the workshop whichaim was to discuss the unfair trade practicesthat are used in business-to-businessrelationships, in the context of the food supply chain and beyond, as well as the existing and future measures thatcould be used against such practices.

Further information
TTIP: Challenges and Opportunities in the Area of Textiles and Labelling
TTIP: Challenges and Opportunities in the Area of Customs and Trade Facilities
Unfair trading practices in the business-to-business food supply chain

Question for oral answer O-000098/2015
to the Commission
Rule 128
Vicky Ford, on behalf of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

DRAFT OPINION on the Annual Report on EU Competition Policy
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection
Sergio Gaetano Cofferati

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

On 23 September, Members will vote on the report on Towards Improved Single Market Regulation (SMR). The report addresses the whole policy cycle and how transposition and implementation of SMR can be improved in order to contribute positively to the functioning of the SM. It also look into the tools to improve SMR, amongst them impact assessment, consultation process, implementation, tools available to monitor how EU law is being applied, infringements and ex-post evaluation and review.

Further information
Meeting documents

This paper was prepared by Policy Department A at the request of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. It finds that there is significant scope for the EU to benefit from freeing up of transatlantic services trade while safeguarding European values and preserving the right to regulate. Importantly, TTIP negotiation of reduced transatlantic regulatory barriers will help unify the internal EU services market, leading to significant increases in intra-EU services trade.

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