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European Single Market

Answer

I agree with the hon. Gentleman, who has spoken about those issues in the past. It is completely unacceptable that British industries should play by the rules while industries in other countries do not play by the rules of the single market. It is essential that we send out a message that beggar-my-neighbour policies, protectionist policies and the restriction of competition are damaging both to the consumer and to industrial growth right across the European Union. Indeed, if we fail to get a world trade agreement, such practices will damage industrial growth right across the world, which is why we are proposing a different course of action. In the past, we have had meetings to set timetables on liberalising the energy sectors by this date, the utilities sector by that date, the telecommunications sector by another date and the services sector by a further date. Instead of simply relying on people honouring promises that have been made at such meetings, a mechanism should be implemented so that the European Union itself, perhaps through an independent competition authority separate from the European Commission, investigates sector by sector what is going on and who is restricting competition. Such an authority should have enforcement powers to deal with restrictions on competition, so that we can open up trade across the single market and influence world trade talks, where the damage that will be done by a return to protectionist policies for both developed and developing countries is something that we cannot accept.

Secondary information

Type

Oral question

Reference

444 c1036-7 

Session

2005-06

Oral question type

Supplementary

Chamber / Committee

House of Commons chamber

Subjects

EU internal trade Competition Competition law Energy Protectionism

Link

View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk