Press Release: Commission launches ambitious programme to deepen the Single Market for services

While services currently represent two-thirds of the EU's GDP and employment, they only make up for around one-fifth of total intra-EU trade. Only about 8% of European SMEs do business in other Member States. This lack of dynamism not only hampers choice for consumers, but also prevents small and innovative businesses to grow, develop their activities and become more competitive.

To unlock this potential of the Single Market for services by 2012, the European Commission has adopted a set of targeted actions to tackle remaining problems. The Services Directive aims precisely at removing unnecessary and burdensome obstacles to trade in services in the Single Market. One year after the implementation deadline, the Commission and the Member States have completed an assessment of how the Directive has been implemented on the ground. The results of this so-called "mutual evaluation" exercise conclude that, while much has been achieved so far, the Single Market for services is not yet delivering its full potential.

European Commission: Memo/11/49: Commission launches ambitious programme to deepen the Single Market for services: FAQs http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/11/49&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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