Highlights - Vote on General budget - Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

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.