Written question asked by Lord Harrison (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Davies of Abersoch (Labour) on Thursday, 25 March 2010.

EU: Internal Market Scoreboard

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the operation of the European Union internal market in the light of the Internal Market Scoreboard published in March; and what their priorities are for further developing the internal market.

Answer: The March scoreboard demonstrates that the record of member states in transposing EU legislation correctly and on time continues to improve. However, further improvement is still needed, not only on the measures contained in the scoreboard but also in the way in which legislation is implemented in practice, to make sure the anticipated benefits are really delivered to businesses and citizens. The Government's EU Compact for Jobs and Growth, published in October 2009, identifies a number of priorities for further development of the single market including: a focus on barriers in high growth sectors such as services, the digital economy and low-carbon technologies, as well as barriers preventing cross-border trade by small and medium enterprises; further steps to reduce the burden of EU legislation on businesses; improved co-operation between national enforcement authorities; more accessible problem-solving mechanisms; and measures to facilitate the free movement of workers.

Secondary information