EU Investment Plan, Single Market and European harmonised standards - Hoofdinhoud

Improving Europeans' daily lives, helping businesses thrive now and in the future, and maintaining Europe as an attractive investment destination

The Commission i presented today three Communications on the EU Investment Plan i, the Single Market, and on European harmonised standards which demonstrate how the Commission's initiatives contributed to improving our daily lives, helping our businesses thrive now and in the future, maintaining Europe as an attractive investment destination and boosting Europe's standing, values and influence in the world.

In the Communication on the Investment Plan for Europe the Commission reveals how the Juncker Plan has helped bring investment back to a sustainable level in Europe, four years after its launch.

The Investment Plan has exceeded its initial target and expectations and has now mobilised €360 billion worth of investments, two-thirds of which come from private resources. Thanks to the backing of the European Fund for Strategic Investments, 850,000 small and medium businesses are set to benefit from improved access to finance. Estimates show that the European Fund for Strategic Investments has already supported more than 750,000 jobs, while 1.4 million jobs are set to be created by 2020, generating positive impact in millions of European homes.

The Juncker Plan has already increased EU GDP by 0.6%, a figure set to reach 1.3% by 2020. All Member States are benefiting, especially those who were hit the hardest by the crisis. Today, the EFSI's successful model is becoming the new benchmark for EU-supported investments, both within and outside the EU, with the new InvestEU fund and the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument proposed by the Commission for the next long-term EU budget.

The indisputable success of the Juncker Plan, beyond its investment dimension, also lies in its two other dimensions. The tailored support provided to hundreds of project promoters under the European Investment Advisory Hub, which has already dealt with 860 requests, and the European Investment Project Portal, which provides an easily accessible pipeline of mature projects for potential investors, are two important innovations in this context.

In the Communication on the Single Market the Commission presents a fresh assessment of the situation and calls on Member States to renew their political commitment to the Single Market.

Over the last 25 years, the Single Market has made Europe one of the most attractive places to live and to do business. Its four indivisible freedoms - the free movement of people, goods, services and capital - have helped improve our citizens' prosperity and strengthen the EU's competitiveness. To exploit its full potential in the digital era and ensure sustainable growth of our economy, the Single Market needs to function properly and constantly evolve in a rapidly changing world. However, today, deeper integration requires more political courage and commitment than 25 years ago and greater efforts to close the gap between rhetoric and delivery. Concretely, the Commission highlights three main areas where further efforts are needed to deepen and strengthen the Single Market:

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  Swiftly adopt proposals on table: The Commission has presented 67 proposals directly relevant for the proper functioning of the Single Market, 44 of which remain to be agreed. The Commission calls on the European Parliament and the Council to adopt the key proposals on the table before the end of this legislature. This includes relevant proposals to integrate digitisation and new technologies at the core of the Single Market, to ensure more secure and sustainable energy in Europe, and to build the Capital Markets Union.

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  Ensure the rules deliver in practice: Citizens and businesses can only enjoy the many benefits of the Single Market (see factsheet on the Single Market) if the rules that have been jointly agreed actually work on the ground. The Commission calls on Member States to be vigilant in implementing, applying and enforcing EU rules and refrain from erecting new barriers. For its part, the Commission will continue to ensure respect of EU rules across the board, from car emissions to e-commerce, from social media to the services sector, and much more besides.

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  Continue adapting the Single Market: Faced with growth gradually slowing down at global level and a changing geopolitical context, the EU needs to show leadership and political courage to take the Single Market to a new level. There is significant potential for further economic integration in the areas of services, products, taxation and network industries. It will make the Union even more attractive to international trading partners and provide it with additional leverage on the international stage.

The Commission presented also an action plan to enhance efficiency, transparency and legal certainty in the development of harmonised standards for a fully functioning Single Market. This third Communication provides an overview of the functioning of the European standardisation system, takes stock of the initiatives launched in recent years and presents four key actions that the Commission will immediately undertake to enhance the efficiency, transparency and legal certainty for the actors involved in the development of harmonised standards:

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  Eliminate, as rapidly as possible, the remaining backlog of harmonised standards that are not yet published in the Official Journal of the European Union,

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  Streamline internal decision making processes, in particular the decision of publishing the references to harmonised standards in the Official Journal,

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  Elaborate a guidance document on practical aspects of implementing the Standardisation Regulation,

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  Reinforce, on an on-going basis, the system of consultants to support swift and robust assessments of harmonised standards and timely publication in the Official Journal.

Related links

Factsheet: the Juncker Plan at work

The Juncker Plan: main results by country and sector - November 2018

Press release: The Single Market: Europe's best asset in a changing world

Press release: Commission acts to improve standardisation in the Single Market

Factsheet Single Market: Europe's best asset in a changing world

Factsheet Overview of Single Market initiatives

Communication Single Market: Europe's best asset in a changing world

Press release on standardisation

Factsheet Digital Single Market

Joint statement on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the European Single Market