Internal Market Unit
Our Role ¦ Guidelines and Procedures ¦ Publications and Files ¦ Contact Us
Work of the Internal Market Unit
Areas of work:
The work of the Internal Market Unit covers:
Directive on Services
The Internal Market Unit represents Ireland’s position on the Directive on Services in the Internal Market.
SOLVIT
The Irish SOLVIT Centre now has its own dedicated website at: http://www.solvitireland.ie
Internal Market Information system (IMI)
IMI is a tool designed to support competent authorities throughout the European Economic Area who are obliged by the mutual assistance provisions of certain internal market legislation to exchange information with their counterparts in other Member States. IMI links competent authorities in national administrations that are involved in managing/implementing free movement in the Internal Market. The system identifies the relevant partner authority in another Member State, provides a structure for ensuring that time limits for compliance and mutual assistance are respected and significantly reduces the language/translation problem by structuring the information to be exchanged and operating on that basis in all EU languages. Further information about the IMI system can be found at the IMI website - http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/imi-net/
Transposition of Directives
The Internal Market Unit supervises the timely transposition of Internal Market Directives in Ireland.
Internal Market Directives that have passed the deadline for their transposition into Irish law are highlighted by the Internal Market Scoreboard. The Scoreboard is produced twice yearly by the European Commission and presented at the Competitiveness Council.
16 July 2009, Scoreboard 19
Press Release from Minister for European Affairs, Dick Roche T.D.
19 February 2009, Scoreboard 18
9 August 2008, Scoreboard 17 - Ireland achieved the 1% target set by the Commission.
Press release in relation to Scoreboard 17
You can listen to the press release that accompanied Scoreboard 17 at http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/download/audio_download_en.cfm?id=125604.
14 February 2008, Scoreboard 16 bis
6 November 2007, The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment answered a Parliamentary Question on the transposition of Internal Market directives
2 July 2007, Scoreboard 16
Press Release that accompanied Scoreboard 16:
1 February 2007, Scoreboard 15 bis and Press release for Scoreboard 15 bis
18 July 2006, Scoreboard number 15
21 February 2006, Scoreboard 14 bis
18 July 2005, Scoreboard 14
27 January 2005, Second Implementation Report of the Internal Market Strategy 2003-2006
Press release for the Second Implementation Report
13 July 2004, Scoreboard 13
Preliminary Analysis of Price Data
12 July 2004, Commission recommendation on the transposition into national law of Directives affecting the Internal Market.
5 May 2003, Scoreboard 12
11 November 2002, Scoreboard 11
16 May 2002, Scoreboard 10
Flash Eurobarometre 130 – Internal Market Business Survey
Background Tables 1 to 9
Background Tables 10+
Flash Eurobarometre 131 – Single Market Survey
Internal Market Index 1992 – 2002: technical background
19 November 2001, Scoreboard 9
Internal Market Business Survey
28 May 2001, Scoreboard 8
24 November 2000, Scoreboard 7
Internal Market Business Survey
22 May 2000, Scoreboard 6
2 December 1999, Scoreboard 5
16 June 1999, Scoreboard 4
3 November 1998, Scoreboard 3
Single Market Business Survey
18 May 1998, Scoreboard 2
Citizens First Signpost Service – Analysis of Enquiries during Phase I, 11/96 - 11/97
”Listening to Citizens” – The difficulties that people face in exercising their rights within the European Single Market
19 November 1997, Scoreboard 1
Single Market Business Survey
Competitiveness Council
The Internal Market Unit prepares for and attends meetings of the Competitiveness Council which are held four or five times a year. Batt O’Keefe, T.D., Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, represents Ireland at Competitiveness Councils. Ministers from the 25 Member States meet in this forum. More information on these Competitiveness Councils can be found on the The Council of the European Union website: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/showPage.asp?id=412&lang=en
The Section also prepares for and participates at Council and Commission working groups such as the Council’s Competitiveness and Growth Committee and the Commission’s Internal Market Advisory Committee.
24 September 2009, Competitiveness Council, provisional Press Release (pdf document, 256kb).
Competitiveness Council conclusions, “How to make the Internal Market work better” (pdf document, 153kb).
5 May 2009, EU Industry Ministers Warn Against “Protectionism” – Press Release from the Minister for Science, Technology, Innovation and Natural Resources, Conor Lenihan, T.D.
Internal Market News
2 December 2010 Overview of the Single Market Act on the European Commission dedicated website on the Single Market Act.
9 May 2010 Launch Of Monti report ‘ A New Strategy for the Single Market’(pdf document, 441.19kb)
16 February 2010 Council conclusions on the deepening of the single market.
11 February 2010 Barnier and the ‘vision thing’ : reinvigorating the Single Market - a policy brief by the European Policy Centre
19 May 2009,Discussion at the Joint Committee on European Affairs on the Internal Market.
Excerpt: “The JOINT COMMITTEE ON EUROPEAN AFFAIRS meets to discuss the European Commission’s annual policy strategy for 2010 which paves the way for establishing a policy agenda for 2010 and launches a dialogue within the institutions of the European Union on what should be the priorities for the next year. As part of this dialogue, the joint committee intends to make a submission to the Commission outlining its views on what areas should be prioritised by the Union in 2010 and, therefore, included in the Commission’s annual legislative and work programme for next year.
The joint committee held an initial discussion on the annual policy strategy at its meeting on 24 March and agreed that the top priority for the year must be economic recovery. It is, therefore, agreed to focus on two key policy objectives identified by the Commission in the strategy, economic and social recovery, and climate change and sustainable Europe. The committee agreed to seek the views of experts and practitioners on what they believed the Commission should do to meet these key policy objectives and what the European Union could do in the immediate term to facilitate economic recovery and sustain and create employment and whether new and creative ideas could be brought forward in this report.”
The Internal Market Directorate General in Brussels publishes a free magazine (Single Market News) with up to date Internal Market news, it can be accessed at: http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/smn/index_en.htm
22 January 2009, Address by Commissioner McCreevy at the EP Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), Brussels.
Single Market Review:
11 March 2009, Council conclusions on the Commission's Single Market Review Progress Report
22 December 2008, The Single Market Review: One Year On, EU Commission Staff Working Document, Brussels
17 December 2008, The Single Market: Our Most Valuable Asset, EU Commission Press Release
16 December 2008, Market Monitoring: State of Play and Envisaged Follow-Up, EU Commission Staff Working Document
14 February 2008, The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr. Micheál Martin, T.D., and the Minister for Trade and Commerce, Mr. John McGuinness, T.D., welcomed the publication by Forfás of a study of the impact of the European Single Market on Ireland.
20 November 2007
Commission unveils its vision for a modern single market for all, Brussels
Press Release, Brussels
FAQs, Brussels
14 November 2007, Address by Commissioner McCreevy at the European Youth Parliament - Panel Debate with the National Forum on Europe event, Dublin Castle
6 November 2007, The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment answered a Parliamentary Question on the Single Market Review
16 July 2007, Address by Commissioner McCreevy on National Regulation and the Single Market – a perspective from Brussels, at Public Affairs Ireland Conference, Dublin
23 March 2007, Address by Commissioner McCreevy on "The European Commission's vision for the Single Market of the 21st century", at the European Commission Representation, Dublin
19 January 2007, European and Social Committee Opinion on the Review of the Single Market
21 February 2007, A Vision for the Single Market of the 21st Century – Interim report to the Spring European Council
January 2007, UK Department of Trade and Industry report – The Single Market: A Vision for the 21st Century (pdf file, 509kb)
29 November 2006, Commissioner McCreevy's speech to the Public Hearing on Future Single Market Policy, Brussels
21 September 2006, Summary of the responses to the public consultation on the future of the Internal Market, including from this Department
As part of a wide-ranging review of Internal Market policy, the European Commission launched a public consultation, in April 2006, on how the Internal Market should respond to new and future challenges. The Commission wants to stimulate a lively public debate and learn from all those that are affected directly by the Internal Market and interested in its future development: citizens, business, representative organizations, academia, think tanks, etc. A Commission Press Release and Consultation Document (incorporating a template for submissions to the Commission) are available along with other documentation on http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/strategy/index_en.htm.
26 October 2006, Speech by Commissioner McCreevy, "The Internal Market: Future Direction and Priorities", at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Brussels.
24 October 2006, Bureau of European Policy Advisors (BEPA) publication – The Single Market: Yesterday and Tomorrow
27 June 2006, Speech by Commissioner McCreevy, "Managing the Single Market Better", at the European Policy Centre Conference 'TIE-ing up the loose ends: making better regulation work in practice.' Brussels.
Dialogue with Citizens
The Internal Market Unit coordinates responses to European Commission requests for information. The Internal Market Unit assisted the European Commission in 2002 in updating the information relevant to Ireland available to the public through the Dialogue with Citizens initiative.
The Dialogue with Citizens initiative provides guides and factsheets on your rights and entitlements as an EU citizen. These guides and factsheets can be accessed at: http://ec.europa.eu/citizensrights/signpost/front_end/index_en.htm
The Citizens Signpost Service, which was re-launched in June 2002, gives people the personalized advice they need when exercising their rights within the EU Internal Market, for example, with regard to having their diploma recognized or getting social security cover in another EU country. It is quick, easy and free of charge. Users of the service can submit their query by using the e-form located at: http://ec.europa.eu/citizensrights/signpost/front_end/index_en.htm
The query can be submitted in any of the 11 EU official languages and users can ask for an answer in any of those languages. Each query is answered within three working days or less by an expert on EU law. The answer will include a simple and clear explanation of the relevant EU law and advice on where at European, national, regional or local level the citizen concerned can go for further help and to ensure his or her rights are fully respected.
The Europe Direct phoneline is a freephone service that can be accessed through the easy to remember number 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 from anywhere in the 15 Member States. Your call will be answered by an operator who speaks your own language and can answer general questions about the EU. The operator will also be able to direct you to a service that can best answer your query such as the three services mentioned above.
Dialogue with Business
The Dialogue with Business initiative provides a one-stop internet shop (OSIS) for businesses wishing to know more about the business framework and opportunities in the Internal Market. This practical and accessible tool for businesses (especially SME’s) can be used, free of charge, to answer many practical questions as it offers a gateway to data, information and advice from many existing sources. For example, it offers direct access to over 230 Euro Info Centres (EICs are the Commissions largest business advice network). It also gives free, direct access to public procurement tender notices published on the Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) database and to Contact Points for Citizens and Business in Member States’ administrations for resolving internal market problems. The site can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope/index_en.html
Package Meetings
The Internal Market Unit prepares for and chairs “package meetings” which are meetings between individual Member States and the European Commission designed to resolve issues raised by the Commission relating to non-compliance with EU obligations
TAIEX
TAIEX was set up to provide assistance in the field of approximation, application and enforcement of EU legislation to benefit the countries of central and eastern Europe that were candidates for accession to the European Union (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, and Slovenia).
TAIEX provides institution-building support in all areas of EU law with a view to supporting its alignment, application and enforcement in the new Member States, the Candidate Countries, the Western Balkans and the Turkish Cypriot Community in the northern part of Cyprus. TAIEX responds to demand-driven requests for assistance from the Beneficiary Countries, the Commission Services and the Member States.
TAIEX assistance is provided by experts in the public and semi-public sectors from Member States who either visit their contemporaries in the Candidate Country/new Member States or host a visit by officials of the Candidate Country/new Member State to the expert’s Member State. The assistance is provided for periods of not less than two days and not more than two weeks and is provided at the request of the Candidate Countries/new Member States or on the initiative of the TAIEX Office in close co-operation with the services of the Commission.
The Internal Market Unit processes requests from the TAIEX office which relate to the Member States providing assistance to the new Member States, the Candidate Countries and other beneficiaries in the field of approximation, application and enforcement of EU legislation. The TAIEX 2005 Activity Report
(pdf document, 1.64mb) was released, December 2005. The TAIEX 2004 Activity Report and 2003 Activity Report are also available.
Strawberry Regulation
Council Regulation (EC) No 2679/98 of 7 December 1998 on the functioning of the internal market in relation to the free movement of goods among the Member States establishes an information and monitoring mechanism in order to eliminate the major obstacles to trade which inflict serious losses on individuals, such as the obstacles which were the subject of the so-called "strawberries" Judgment (Commission v. France).
The Regulation should make it possible to apply the principle of the free movement of goods quicker and more efficiently in order to deal with this kind of obstacle, as requested by the Amsterdam European Council of 16 and 17 June 1997.
Last modified: 29/12/2010
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