OMMITTEE ON THE INTERNAL MARKET AND CONSUMER …€¦ · those interested in using the possibilities offered by ICT to re-model procurement processes with a view to driving efficiency

COMMITTEE ON THE INTERNAL MARKET AND CONSUMER PROTECTION

I M C ON e w s l e t t e r

ISSUE 11 - NOVEMBER 2010

A T A G L A N C EThis issue refers to the important Forum on the Single Market taking place in the EP hemicycle on 9 November.It also anticipates the main points on the agenda of the Committee meetings to b e held on 8, 18 and 22November: the debate and vote on a regulation onconstruction products and the vote on a report on advertising (which amendments have been examined during the last meeting held on 26 October).

Moreover, members will discuss on the amendments tabled on the proposal for the new consumer rights

directive and debate with commissioners Tajani and Dalli on the legislative and work programme 2010-2011.This edition refers to the IMCO delegation to India and to the outcomes of the last committee meeting, namely the debate on the retail market monitoring report and themeeting with National parliaments on the implementation of the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive.

Finally, the “Tip of the Month” addresses the e-Certis service: a useful tool for companies wishing to respond to a call for tenders from another Member State.

S E L E C T E D N E W S L O O K I N G A H E A DThe new Consumer Markets Scoreboard Net Neutrality Summit

On 11 November the European Parliament and the Commission are jointly organising a Summit on the open internet and net neutrality in Europe giving key stakeholders the opportunity to discuss their views.

Mr Harbour, Chair of the IMCO Committee and Rapporteur on the Universal Services Directive which contains provisions on net neutrality, will moderate the panel on the traffic management and the quality of service on the net. A final panel will deal with the challenges for net neutrality and the open internet.

The 4th edition of the Consumer Markets Scoreboard screens 50 consumer markets in all EU countries (and Norway), which, for the first time, cover over 60% of the consumer budget. The purpose is to identify those which may be malfunctioning from a consumer point of view.

It consists of a large market-monitoring survey conducted only with consumers with recent practical experience of each market. The most problematic sectors for them, both in the services sector and in the goods sector, have been identified through the Market Performance Indicator (MPI). The MPIscore is composed of four key elements: the ease of comparing Net Neutrality Summit web-site

Public hearing on e-procurementgoods or services, consumers' trust in retailers / suppliers tocomply with consumer protection rules, consumer satisfaction and expectations and the experience of problems and ensuing complaints.

The markets which from this survey have obtained the lowest scores will be followed closer by annual Commission studies to be carried out in order to help identify possible policy remedies. Vice versa the other markets will be looked at every two years. The Scoreboard also monitors prices of consumer goods and services in the EU and includes a sectionon consumer complaints. The last section addresses the safety of goods and services bought by consumers, as 50% considered it a key aspect when evaluating the purchase.

A public hearing on expanding the use of e-Procurement in the EU is to be held on 25 November bringing together all those interested in using the possibilities offered by ICT to re-model procurement processes with a view to driving efficiency gains.

E-Procurement refers to the use of electronic communications and transaction processing by government institutions and other public sector organisations when buying supplies and services or tendering public works.

The EC Green Paper published in October on this subject will also be addressed.

Consumer Markets Scoreboard web-site e-Procurement web-site

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Directorate General for Internal Policies of the UnionInternal Market and Consumer Protection Committee

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E V E N T SA Forum to relaunch the single market

Quickenborne and State Secretary for European Affairs Oliver Chastel will be among the panelists for this important debate.

Fabian Zuleeg, from the European Policy Centre, Monique Goyens, from the European Consumer Association (BEUC), and Philippe De Buck, from BusinessEurope, will also take part in the debate.

The Single Market Act will also be discussed during the Parliament plenary meeting on 10 November.

Last May, with a resolution proposed by IMCO, the Parliament called upon the Commission to produce a "Single Market Act" covering both legislative and non legislative initiatives aimed at relaunching the single market. In reply, Commissioner Barnier on 27 October presented a communication addressingthe concerns of businesses, citizens/consumers and governance issues and, at the same time, launched a 4 month wide European debate on the future of the single market.

In relation to the Single Market Act, Parliament's Internal Market Committee together with the European Commission and Belgian Presidency on Tuesday 9 November will host a "Single Market Forum" in the EP hemicycle. The event will be the first opportunity for members to discuss the Commission's plan.

Commissioner Michel Barnier, Professor Mario Monti, BelgianMinister in charge of Internal Market policy Vincent van

ProgrammeSingle Market Act web-site

N E X T C O M M I T T E E M E E T I N G S (8, 18 AND 22 NOVEMBER 2010)Watch the committee meeting live Agenda and meeting documents

Advertising: tackle the challenge of new technologies

The call to restrict alcohol advertising on the Internet and the protection of vulnerable groups (especially children) are also addressed, together with the different attitudes towards the effectiveness of the unfair commercial practices Directive, self-regulation and co-regulation.

During the last IMCO meeting on 26 October, the rapporteur underlined his intention to follow a pragmatic and operational approach and stressed that his report focuses in particular on specific issues related to advertising on the Internet. He also emphasised the possibility to find compromise amendments on many issues.

On 8 November members will proceed to vote on the report concerning the impact of advertising on consumer behaviour. A total of 132 amendments have been tabled to the draft report.

Most of them refer to issues arising from the development of new technologies, such as hidden advertising or behavioural and targeted advertising based on personal data collection.

RAPPORTEUR: Philippe Juvin (EPP, FR) - DossierSHADOWS: P.A. Panzeri (S&D); R. Rochefort (ALDE); E. Turunen (Greens/EFA); E. McClarkin (ECR); C. de Jong (GUE/NGL); M. Salvini (EFD).

A new legislation on construction productsOn 8 November members will consider a total of 183 amendments (49 amendments of the draft recommendation and 134 new) to the Council's text on a regulation aimed to overcome the current barriers that impede the free circulation of construction products across the EU (codecision, second reading).

This high number of amendments led members to postpone the voting day in order to have more time to find compromises. The vote is likely to take place on 22 November, during an extraordinary meeting in Strasbourg.

RAPPORTEUR: Catherine Stihler (S&D, UK) – DossierSHADOWS: H.P. Mayer (EPP); C. Buşoi (ALDE); H. Rühle (Greens/EFA); E. McClarkin (ECR); M. Salvini (EFD).

Many amendments refer to the general obligation for manufacturers to draw up a 'declaration of performance' for the products they place on the market, assuming the responsibility for the conformity of the products with declared performance. The possibility for manufacturers to derogate from that obligation under specific conditions was alsosubject to a number of amendments.

Members tabled several amendments on the chapter related to the use of simplified procedures aimed to reduce red tape for enterprises, especially the micro-enterprises.

CE marking, harmonised technical specifications and basic requirements for construction works, are other issues on which many amendments are focused.

Repeal of 8 directives on Metrology Towards sustainable pension systems in the EUOn 22 November, the Committee is to endorse the outcome of the negotiations with the Council concerning the proposal of repealing 8 directives regarding metrology with the aim of simplification and better regulation. The directives concern technologies that are becoming out of date.

On 8 November members will hold an exchange of views on the opinion concerning the Commission Green paper "Towards adequate, sustainable and safe European pension systems".

RAPPORTEUR: Anja Weisgerber (EPP, DE) – Procedure file RAPPORTEUR: Dennis de Jong (GUE/NGL) – Procedure file

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D E L E G A T I O NA passage to India

and Bosch and met representatives of the association of software and service companies. They also met representatives of the Chambers of Commerce, as well as the Principal Government Secretary for e-governance in Karnataka.

A nine-member delegation from the IMCO Committee visited India from 1-4 November 2010. Members held meetings with the Governor of the State of Maharastra, the Mumbai Customs Authority and participated in a Roundtable Conference organised by the Council of EU Chambers of Commerce. They visited Bharat Forge, Tata Motors, Infosys IMCO Chair Press release

I N T E R P A R L I A M E N T A R Y C O M M I T T E E M E E T I N GInternal market for professionals: how to make it work?

qualifications. The two rounds of debate were kicked off by short expert presentations on experiences of professionals (architects, tourist guides, civil engineers, nurses, pharmacists) with the recognition process in the EU.

The crucial importance of the recognition process for qualifications has been underlined by many speakers as a means to boost the mobility of skilled professionals within Europe and so increase competitiveness. A range of issues were discussed in more detail, such as the language requirements, the wrong idea of requesting declarations in advance, the need for more cooperation between competent authorities, the enforcement of the Directive and the development of professional cards to reduce red tape.

Commissioner Barnier stressed the need for a modernisationof the Directive and stated that improvements can be achieved. He also announced a Green paper for autumn 2011 and a legislative proposal in 2012.

On 26 October, the Committee welcomed 24 Members of National Parliaments from 13 Member States, Norway and Switzerland for a meeting focused on the state of play and the challenges regarding the recognition of professional Programme and Presentations

Consumer rights directive Industrial policy and tourism in EuropeOn 18 November the Committee will examine approximately 1,300 amendments that have been tabled on the proposal for a new consumers rights directive.The Rapporteur and the shadow rapporteurs are planning an active timetable of meetings to make progress on the proposal.The IMCO vote will take place on 9 December 2010.

Members will consider a draft opinion for the ITRE Committee on an industrial policy for the globalised era.

They will also hold an exchange of views on a draft opinion for the TRAN Committee con-cerning a Communication on a new political framework for tourism in Europe to make theUnion the world's n°1 tourist destination. The Commission proposes a number of initiatives aimed to increase tourism sector competitiveness and capacity for sustainable growth.

RAPPORTEUR: Andreas Schwab (EPP, DE)SHADOWS: E. Gebhardt (S&D); R.Rochefort (ALDE); E. Turunen (Greens/EFA); A. Bielan (ECR); K. Triantaphyllides (GUE/NGL); M. Salvini (EFD).TIMETABLE: Consideration of compromise amendments: 29November 2010Vote in IMCO: 9 December 2010

RAPPORTEUR: Jürgen Creutzmann (ALDE, DE)Industrial policy – Procedure fileTourism – Procedure file

Structured dialogue with the Commission The future of social services of general interestThe members will hold a second exchange of views on thedraft opinion concerning the future for social services of general interest.

On 18 November Vice-President Antonio Tajani, responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship, and Commissioner John Dalli, responsible for Health and Consumer policy, will hold an exchange of views with the IMCO members in the context of the structured dialogue on the European Commission’s legislative and work programme 2010-2011.

RAPPORTEUR: Damien Abad (EPP, FR)Procedure file

Competition Policy in 2009On 22 November IMCO will vote on a draft opinion on the report on competition policy 2009.

During the last IMCO meeting, the Rapporteur stressed the temporary nature of the state-aid measures that were approved.

RAPPORTEUR: Cristian Silviu Buşoi (ALDE) - DossierSHADOWS: A. Schwab (EPP); C. Stihler (S&D); H. Rühle (Greens/EFA); A. Bielan (ECR); C. de Jong (GUE); M.Salvini (EFD).

He emphasised the need for an EU collective redress mechanism and an EU wide patent system. He also underlined that market conditions do not yet fully benefit consumers in the pharmaceutical and energy sectors.

The Commission confirmed the start of a public consultation process on collective redress in November which would explore common standards and minimum conditions.

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F R O M T H E L A S T M E E T I N G (26 OCTOBER 2010)Towards a real internal retail marketThe Rapporteur presented her first ideas regarding the scope of her report on the monitoring of the retail market. She emphasised that the report should focus on a number of well defined priority areas and concentrate on measures that can be promoted at Union level.

She referred, in particular, to four major areas that could be tackled in the report: removal of barriers in the free movement of goods, unfair commercial practices in business-to-business relationships, accessibility of retail services and sustainable retail solutions.

In the follow-up discussion, Members welcomed the general approach of the Rapporteur and referred to issues surrounding accessibility of shops, commercial property, private labels, unfair commercial practices and small and medium sized enterprises.

Retail services encompass a wide variety of forms (shops, electronic commerce, open markets, etc.), formats (from small shops to hypermarkets), products (food, non-food, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, etc.), legal structures (independent stores, franchises, integrated groups, etc.) and locations (urban/rural, city centre/suburbs, etc.).

The Committee is likely to hold a workshop with experts and stakeholders in the coming weeks.

RAPPORTEUR: Anna Maria Corazza-Bildt (EPP, SV)SHADOWS: P.A. Panzeri (S&D); M. Løkkegaard (ALDE); H. Rühle (Greens/EFA); M. Harbour (ECR); K. Triantaphyllides (GUE/NGL); M. Salvini (EFD). EC Communication and Presentation

T I P O F T H E M O N T He-CERTIS promotes the internal market of public procuremente-CERTIS in an information system which identifies the different certificates and attestations frequently requested in procurement procedures across the 27 Member States, two Candidate Countries (Turkey and Croatia) and the three EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). This service is useful for European companies wishing to submit a proposal in response to a foreign call for tender.

The contracting authorities which, on the other hand, have toevaluate a foreign tender, would also benefit from e-CERTIS, understanding in depth what information is requested or evaluating the documents provided by the companies that participate in calls for tender.

e-CERTIS can also assist companies which opt to operate at local level and need to identify partner local documents that match certificates and attestations that are required by the particular area.

e-Certis web-site

To incentivise the use of e-CERTIS, the system also acceptsinformation queries or keywords typed, by the bodies keen to use it, in all European recognised languages. The information contained in the database is provided by national authorities and updated on a regular basis. Although, it should be noticed that e-CERTIS is a reference tool and not legal advice service. It does not guarantee that the evidence provided resulting from a query will be recognised as valid by a contracting authority.

This system forms part of the e-Procurement map, a paper on activities having an impact on the development of e-Procurement solutions.

J O I N T H E " F R I E N D S O F I M C O " N E T W O R KIf you wish to receive the IMCO newsletter, please send an e-mail with your contact details and "newsletter" in the subject's field to: [email protected]

Closure date of the current issue: 5 November 2010Disclaimer: The items contained herein are drafted by the Secretariat of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee and are provided for general information purposes only. The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament. The IMCO Newsletter may contain links to websites that are created and maintained by other organisations. The IMCO Secretariat does not necessarily endorse the view expressed on these websites.

Reducing health inequalities in the EU

During the debate in view of drafting her opinion, the Rapporteur emphasised the importance of health for mental and physical well-being, and this is the benchmark which needs to be used. She also highlighted that a special attention must be given to vulnerable persons (elderly, children, people in poverty, etc) and more investment needs to go into research. A long-term approach was proposed, as better education would lead to better health. Finally, the Rapporteur stressed that patients must have access to information of an independent nature that should not take the form of indirect advertising.

RAPPORTEUR: Emma McClarkin (ECR, UK)SHADOWS: R. Bastos (EPP); B. Vergnaud (S&D), A. Parvanova (ALDE), H. Rühle (Greens/EFA); E. Brit Svensson (GUE/NGL); M. Salvini (EFD).