§ Mrs. MayTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the United Kingdom's record on implementing measures to complete the European internal market; and what assessment she has made of the record of other member states of the European Union in this respect. [9452]
§ Mrs. Roche[holding answer 18 July 1997]: I am placing a Commission table showing the state of transposition of the single market directives into national law in the UK and other member states in the Libraries of the House.
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps her Department is taking to ensure completion of the European internal market; and within what timetable. [9440]
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§ Mrs. Roche[holding answer 18 July 1997]: Enhancement of the single market is a Government priority. We have helped to secure a warm welcome at the Amsterdam European Council for the Commission's action plan for the single market. The plan detailed an ambitious set of objectives for the next three presidencies of the Council of Ministers—Luxembourg, UK and Austria—to achieve practical improvements in the single market. The action plan closely reflects key UK priorities for the single market, including:
- Improvements in the enforcement of single market rules;
- Measures to simplify existing legislation and reduce burdens on business;
- A tightening up of rules on state aids;
- Measures to liberalise public utilities.
In addition, the Department has a unit called "action single market" which helps UK business overcome illegal state aids and trade barriers in other single market countries. It has scored successes in overcoming barriers across a wide range of sectors and problems types.