European Parliament / Committees

The Working Group (WG) on the Digital Single Market (DSM) restarts its activities on 2 March at 15.00 with a 1st inaugural meeting of its 4th period of sessions. Created in 2011, the WG on DSM led to the adoption of a number of parliamentary resolutions and has become a key platform for in-depth discussion where EP Members, EC, stakeholders and experts exchange views, identify new opportunities/challenges, remaining barriers and propose concrete measures to make the DSM in the EU a reality.  

First Vice-President of the Commission, Frans Timmermans,exchanged views with IMCO on the EU's better regulation agenda. The Commission is expected to issue a package of 'better law-making' initiatives at the end of April, including an update of the REFIT framework and initiatives, a proposal for  a revised inter-institutional agreement and new guidelines for impact assessments and a revised Impact Assessment Board.

The Commissioner explained his motivation to support SMEs and to help enable legislation that is easy to implement and to apply, and that does not create excessive administrative costs (or is at least based on a sound understanding of the costs incurred). He promised closer cooperation between the three EU institutions - the Parliament, Council and Commission -and reassured that the better regulation agenda should not come at the detriment of consumer rights, or social and environmental standards. He underlined the Commission's new approach with a more streamlined and political agenda, as evidenced in the work programme 2015, and formally announced the forth coming review proposals. This includes especially the review of the Commission's impact assessment board,stating his interest in an independent board that could serve the 3 institutions and provide impact assessments, including of compromises reached in political negotiations. 

IMCO and INTA committee held a joint public hearing on TTIP. The first panel was chaired by the IMCO Chair Vicky Ford and focussed on standards and consumer protection standards. The second panel was chaired by the INTA Vice-Chair Tokia Saïfi and focussed on regulatory cooperation in the field of motor vehicles.

Mr Ignacio Bercero was invited to present Members with some closing remarks. The EU Chief Negotiator underlined that the TTIP will not lower protection standards as reflected in EU legislation and that the regulatory autonomy of EU and US institutions will be respected. He reaffirmed that public procurement remained one of the most critical aspects of the negotiations and that the EC aimed to establish a level playing field for EU companies in the US.

On 16 and 17 February 2015, a delegation of 4 Members visited Riga and met representatives of the Latvian government (Minister of Economics and Parliamentary State Secretary for EU Affairs) and the national parliament (European Affairs Committee and Economic, Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Policy Committee), as well as business and consumer organisations. The delegation discussed the priorities of the Latvian Presidency, particularly in relation to the work of the IMCO committee.