Long frustration
The frustration from the European Commission has been building for a long time.
The EU’s industry commissioner, Stéphane Séjourné, has emerged as a key enforcer of closer internal market integration, coming up against skeptical national governments.
In a letter sent to capitals late last year, seen by POLITICO, the French centrist politician warned the bloc’s actions “need to be complemented with urgent and concrete actions by all Member States to champion the Single Market and, not least, to address specific barriers at national level.”
As part of that drive, Séjourné mapped out a list of the “Terrible Ten” barriers harming the single market and called on capitals to give prior notice of legislation that could create new obstacles. In addition, he said, governments should “name a high-level Single Market Sherpa” who can act as a point person for the critical policy area in Brussels amid fears it too often falls through the gaps between ambassadors and ministers.
“Discussions on the single market have lasted long enough,” Séjourné told POLITICO ahead of Thursday’s talks. “The Commission has done its job identifying single market barriers, country by country, and sector by sector. But it is now for member states to take their responsibilities and actively remove those barriers. We will chase them as far, and fast, as we need to.”
A second national diplomat said those pushing the Commission to act “have a bit of a point” because the bloc’s executive has powers to strengthen the single market it is not using. The reason it isn’t using them, though, the diplomat admitted, is because “they are afraid of political backlash if they touch some national holy cows, like Italian beaches or French skiing instructors,” referring to two notorious cases of alleged protectionism.
“It’s a bit like this Spider-Man meme … The Commission will continue to propose legislation as the main solution to any problem they identify. But I’m not sure member states as a group are much better.”