Pełne sprawozdanie z obrad

Środa, 30 listopada 2011 r. - Bruksela

18. Forum jednolitego rynku (debata)

  Der Präsident. − Als nächster Punkt folgt die Erklärung der Kommission zum Binnenmarktforum.

  John Dalli, Member of the Commission. − Mr President, the economic and financial crisis that we are facing can sometimes cause us to forget about its human impact. It is therefore right for us to take a couple of steps back to consider the ultimate objective of all our reforms: the social and economic wellbeing of our fellow citizens.

We must accept this responsibility for our fellow citizens, who are also consumers, workers, taxpayers and savers; for our companies, whether they be small, medium-sized or large; and finally, for our countries and their regional and local authorities.

All these players are the first to feel the specific consequences of the current shocks, which are compounding existing problems with the single market. We must show them that the single market can give rise to concrete benefits. That is why we organised the Single Market Forum (SIMFO) in Krakow in early October, in partnership with you at the Parliament and the Polish Presidency. The Forum was attended by over 1 000 people during the discussions and almost 10 000 at the Single Market Fair held at the same time. At this point I would like to thank Róza Thun, Louis Grech, Malcolm Harbour and Silvu Buşoi, whose participation in the commitment of Parliament made SIMFO such a success.

The Forum made it possible to bring together all players in the single market. It was a great success, from which we can draw two conclusions. It has enabled us to back up our political discussions with concrete examples, which are also calls to take action to improve the lot of the people of Europe during this period of crisis and allow us to see our choices in relation to their real needs. It has enabled us to directly communicate the reforms that we are undertaking. We must constantly strive to disseminate information about our initiatives, from the time when they are discussed to their implementation.

The comments that were collected reflected the results of the survey concerning the 20 main concerns of European citizens in their day-to-day lives. The study has reaffirmed the need for citizens and companies to be better informed, and for the rules of the internal market to be applied more effectively with regard to health, social security, the recognition of professional qualifications, online purchasing, public procurement and the protection of intellectual property between countries, in particular.

We have now noted the Krakow Declaration drafted by the participants in the Forum, and we undertake to do what it has called for by taking the measures determined in connection with the Single Market Act.

We can identify three main courses of action:

Firstly, make the single market a safer place on a daily basis for the citizens of Europe. We want citizens to have confidence in the single market and to know their rights when making a purchase in another country or on the internet, or moving within the EU for personal or professional reasons.

We therefore intend to simplify mutual qualification recognition procedures in order to encourage mobility on the part of our fellow citizens in the internal market and ensure that their aims are not stymied by administrative barriers; we will propose reinforcing legislation concerning the posting of workers and clarifying the balance that must be struck between economic freedoms and fundamental rights; and we intend to enable consumers to make greater use of the single market.

Yesterday the Commission approved a package of measures aimed at ensuring that European consumers who buy goods and services (online or offline, in their country or in another Member State) have access to alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to solve their disputes with traders, without necessarily having to go to court. Moreover, with regard to e-commerce, we need to de-mystify this new form of consumption and make it safer, also for our companies, because it is still under-used to a very significant extent.

Secondly, make the economy of the internal market more dynamic by ensuring full implementation of the Services Directive and improving the distribution channels for goods in Europe; and by addressing businesspeople directly and improving the conditions in which they must operate in order to increase their competitiveness in a more competitive market and reduce their administrative burden.

There are a number of specific measures intended to achieve this: the creation of a single patent, which is a major milestone in supporting creativity and innovation in Europe, and other measures to increase the observance of intellectual property rights; an action plan for SMEs, to increase their access to funding in the form of venture capital, on the stock market and through bank loans; simplification of accounting rules; and simplification of the rules for public procurement.

Thirdly, support and facilitate public action. We are going to review the directives on public procurement in order to make the lives of public and private operators easier and increase the integration of social and environmental issues and issues relating to project innovation. We are also going to fill the legal void currently surrounding the procurement of services in Europe in order to improve the relationship between contracting authorities and private contractors, both when a contract is put out for tender and throughout its implementation.

Finally, we aim to renew our relationships with third parties and to introduce greater reciprocity into public procurement in particular.

We have placed all these measures within the framework of the Single Market Act and we must ensure their implementation. 2012 will be a crucial year for the delivery of these reforms. It will be a milestone in our project to relaunch the single market on the 20th anniversary of its creation. To turn this celebration into an exciting event, we intend to work with all the players on the single market to organise a Single Market Week focusing on new growth, along the lines set out in the Krakow Declaration. During this week, local events will be organised in each Member State and a big event will be held in Brussels.

I am counting on your participation to enable us to make the 20th anniversary of the single market a success for everyone.

  Andreas Schwab, im Namen der PPE-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident, Herr Kommissar, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Beim Binnenmarktforum am 3./4. Oktober in Krakau – Herr Kommissar Dalli hat schon darauf hingewiesen – hatten wir über 1 000 Teilnehmer. Wir hatten die Gelegenheit, in einer außerhalb von Brüssel liegenden Kleinstadt oder mittelgroßen Stadt zwei Tage lang alle aktuellen Binnenmarkt- und Verbraucherthemen in ihrer ganzen Breite zu diskutieren. Das hat den Inhalten der anstehenden Gesetzgebungsvorschläge gut getan!

Es hat gezeigt, dass wir in diesem Parlament fraktionsübergreifend an ganz vielen Stellen einer Meinung sind, dass wir die Stärkung der Verbraucherrechte im Bereich der alternativen Streitbeilegung wünschen, dass wir eine unbedingte Stärkung des elektronischen Geschäftsverkehrs in der Europäischen Union brauchen, um das grenzüberschreitende Geschäft stärker voranzutreiben, und dass wir auch im Bereich des öffentlichen Vergabewesens eine Vereinfachung wünschen. Das hat uns über alle Fraktionen hinweg vereint! Es hat ein Stück weit gezeigt, dass das, was Herr Professor Monti in seinem Papier für den Kommissionspräsidenten zusammengestellt hat – dass der Binnenmarkt nämlich nicht nur eine Economic Governance braucht, sondern auch eine Single Market Governance, also eine Einheitlichkeit des Regelwerks für alle Mitgliedstaaten und für die Binnenmarktteilnehmer gleichermaßen –, auf die ungeteilte Zustimmung in diesem Haus trifft. Deswegen möchte ich mich vor allem auf die Schlussfolgerungen konzentrieren, die das Binnenmarktforum in Krakau gezogen hat.

Der polnische Staatssekretär hat ausdrücklich darauf verwiesen, dass die Mitgliedstaaten bereit wären, mehr Verordnungen zu akzeptieren, wenn sie dem Binnenmarkt gut tun. Ich darf für meine Fraktion, die EVP-Fraktion, nochmals wiederholen, dass wir bei der Ausarbeitung der Binnenmarktakte ausdrücklich darauf Wert legen, dass die Kommission eingehend prüft, ob sie möglichst viele der Vorschläge in die Form einer Verordnung bringen kann.

Der zweite Aspekt betrifft die Vertragsverletzungsverfahren, die schneller abgewickelt werden müssen. Die Kommission ist hier aber auf einem guten Weg.

Zu guter Letzt muss unbedingt natürlich auch der Abbau von Bürokratie für kleine und mittlere Unternehmen gefördert werden.

  Evelyne Gebhardt, im Namen der S&D-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident, Herr Kommissar! Das Forum in Krakau war tatsächlich ein großer Erfolg. Es muss auch wiederholt werden, weil gute Initiativen auch wirklich eine Fortsetzung haben sollten. Ich möchte mich in diesem Zusammenhang noch einmal bei meinem Kollegen Louis Grech bedanken, der ja die ursprüngliche Idee hatte, dass wir auf solch einem Forum die 20 wichtigsten Anliegen der Bürger und Bürgerinnen vorstellen sollten. Das war das Kernstück dessen, was wir gemacht haben, nämlich die Anliegen der Bürger und Bürgerinnen in den Vordergrund zu stellen, damit sie sehen, dass der Binnenmarkt nicht etwas Abstraktes ist, sondern tatsächlich einen Mehrwert für sie hat.

Es ging um so unterschiedliche Themen wie die Anerkennung von Berufsabschlüssen, die Möglichkeit für junge Leute, ein Bankkonto in einem anderen Staat zu eröffnen – was manchmal sehr schwierig ist –, die Rechtssicherheit bei Online-Einkäufen, die Entsenderichtlinie, die unbedingt modernisiert und geändert werden muss, die Stärkung der kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen und so weiter. Es wurden sehr viele Themen besprochen und die jeweiligen Problemstellungen aufgezeigt.

Herr Kommissar, für die Zukunft müssen wir aber dann den Schwerpunkt stärker auf die Lösungen legen, die angeboten werden. Da erwarten wir das, was Sie als Kommission für nächstes Jahr alles versprochen haben, und das Parlament und meine Fraktion, die sozialdemokratische Fraktion, werden sehr kritisch und positiv begleiten, was Sie uns auf den Tisch legen.

  Cristian Silviu Buşoi, on behalf of the ALDE Group. – Mr President, as we have pointed out on several occasions, the relaunch of the Single Market is not only the remit of the European institutions. The solutions have to emerge from a broader dialogue with all relevant stakeholders: consumers, enterprises, national authorities, social partners, judges and so on.

This was the aim of the Single Market Forum in Krakow and it was a success. As a member of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, I must say that participation in the Forum was a very valuable experience. The participants engaged in a very constructive dialogue, which gave us a useful insight into what they consider to be the priorities for the future development of the single market.

There is one thing that came out of the Forum which I consider to be extremely important. The majority of citizens, and sometimes even some of us, consider the single market legislation to be very technical. Sometimes, this is very true, but I was very happy to see that the Forum attracted citizens who came to tell their own stories in relation to the single market. This clearly shows that the single market is firstly about citizens, about normal people who unfortunately experience difficulties in enjoying their rights.

I would like to thank the Polish Presidency for their full commitment to the single market and for taking the Krakow Declaration to the Competitiveness Council. Now, if this Forum is to make any difference, we – and here I mean the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament – need to prove that we take into account the priorities outlined in the Krakow Declaration and that we have the political will to come up with efficient solutions and also to implement them. We have to understand that legislation cannot be efficient without correct and timely implementation at the national level.

I strongly believe that the Single Market Forum is an excellent initiative that ought to be continued in future, and that this is the way forward in order to progressively eliminate the remaining barriers and to bring our citizens closer to the single market. This is why I firmly support the idea of setting up a Single Market Forum online, which could be a permanent platform for dialogue with all stakeholders. I also believe that next year we should mark the 20th anniversary of the single market by organising decentralised events in all Member States, as was already proposed.

Last but not least, I would like to thank all those who worked hard for the organisation of the Single Market Forum. I want to congratulate the Commission, especially Commissioner Dalli and Commissioner Barnier, the Parliament and the Polish Presidency and all the citizens, enterprises, NGOs and other stakeholders who contributed to the success of this first Single Market Forum.

  Malcolm Harbour, on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, as Chairman of the Committee I want first of all to particularly thank both Commissioner Dalli who participated energetically in the Forum and made the closing speech, and also Commissioner Barnier who I know tonight is in Malta in his campaign to get round every single Member State and discuss the single market. I am sure that Louis Grech is with him as well.

The lessons which are clearly apparent from the success of the Single Market Forum – and I think that everyone believes it was a great success – are the fact that completing the single market is fundamentally an exercise in partnership and teamwork. It is not something which can be delivered by technical regulation from Brussels, as Cristian Buşoi said. It is not something that can be delivered by one Commissioner on his own. Neither is it something which can be delivered by Member States working on their own, because the lessons about making the single market work are that Member States have to work much more closely together and to exchange information to look after consumers better; to have the sort of dispute resolution system on line that you, Commissioner, have just proposed.

That became clearly apparent from the way in which we worked together to promote this Forum. It is a shame that the Presidency is not here, because the Polish Presidency played an absolutely crucial role in this. They put it at the top of their priorities and it is good, as a number of colleagues have said, that they reported back to the Summit about it. Indeed, the completion of the Single Market Act was the top item at the Growth Summit on 23 October. I think that the energy behind that and behind the Single Market Forum contributed to this.

My concluding point is this. The biggest single issue that remained for me in participating in all the discussions with people who are energetic and enthusiastic about the Single Market, is how little we are communicating the benefits, and particularly the opportunities, throughout the European Union, so thank you Commissioner, for your great work on the internet that is enabling my committee to get our information across to citizens about the Single Market.

  Κυριάκος Τριανταφυλλίδης, εξ ονόματος της ομάδας GUE/NGL. – Κύριε Πρόεδρε, η μορφή της ολοκλήρωσης της εσωτερικής αγοράς θα είναι καθοριστική για το μέλλον της Ευρώπης. Η Ευρώπη θα πρέπει να διαθέτει μια αποτελεσματική ενιαία αγορά, να προσαρμόζει τις οικονομικές με τις κοινωνικές ανάγκες της αγοράς, αλλά και να ενισχύει την αλληλεγγύη, να καθιστά δυνατή την υλοποίηση των ατομικών και συλλογικών επιτευγμάτων, να συμβάλλει στην αειφόρο ανάπτυξη. Η Πράξη για την Ενιαία Αγορά δεν φαίνεται όμως, κατά την άποψή μας, να απαντά στις σημερινές ανάγκες των πολιτών.

Θέλουμε η κοινωνία να ανακτήσει το πλήρες και ολοκληρωμένο δικαίωμά της να περνάει το δημόσιο συμφέρον πάνω από το συμφέρον των αγορών. Θέλουμε να ανακτηθεί το κοινωνικό δικαίωμα, να πρωτεύει η προστασία του πολίτη, η διατήρηση των θέσεων εργασίας και οι συνθήκες εργασίας επί των κανόνων του ανταγωνισμού. Πρέπει να προλάβουμε την περαιτέρω υποβάθμιση της κοινωνικής Ευρώπης.

Η εναλλακτική μας πρόταση είναι απλή, εύκολη και σαφώς διατυπωμένη: να επικρατήσουν οι κοινωνικές ανάγκες επί των κερδών. Θέλουμε ολόκληρη η ανθρωπότητα να συμμεριστεί αυτή την οικονομική, κοινωνική, πολιτική και πολιτιστική εναλλακτική λύση.

  Róża Gräfin von Thun und Hohenstein (PPE). - Panie Przewodniczący! Dziękuję Panie Komisarzu za miłe słowa pod adresem tych, którzy zaangażowali się w to niezwykle ważne wydarzenie. Ja bym powiedziała, że jest to takie wydarzenie, które uskrzydla wszystkich tych, – myślę o Single Market Forum w Krakowie – którzy ciężko pracują nad tym, żeby bariery na wspólnym rynku znosić skutecznie, żeby Unię Europejską robić coraz bardziej przyjazną dla obywateli. Obywateli czyli i konsumentów, i przedsiębiorców jako jednej grupy, która tworzy nerw Unii Europejskiej.

Ja również przez Pana osobę chciałabym podziękować bardzo panu komisarzowi Barnier, który zaangażował się razem z nami w to przedsięwzięcie, ale tak samo pani dyrektor Emer Daly z DG Markt B, wspaniałemu zespołowi, o którym za mało mówimy, a który rzeczywiście ogromną część odpowiedzialności i pracy wziął na siebie.

Było to dobre doświadczenie, zgadzam się z większością, czyli prawie wszystkimi wypowiedziami przede mną. I zgadzam się też z tym, że musimy nadal prowadzić dialog ze społeczeństwem. Deklaracja krakowska była przykładem, jakie wyniki można osiągnąć. Takie wyniki powinniśmy osiągać dalej.

Chciałam tylko zapytać Panie Komisarzu, skąd ta decyzja, że następne Forum ma być w Brukseli. Jeszcze nie rozmawialiśmy o tym. Rozumiem, że takie decyzje podejmujemy wspólnie: Parlament, Komisja Rynku Wewnętrznego i Ochrony Konsumentów. My mamy również inne bardzo dobre propozycje i bardzo prosimy, żeby o tym porozmawiać. Ostatnie zdanie Panie Przewodniczący! Mija dwadzieścia lat...

(Przewodniczący odebrał mówczyni głos.)

  António Fernando Correia De Campos (S&D). - O primeiro Fórum do Mercado Único, ideia que decorre do relatório Grech, teve lugar em Cracóvia, foi rico em conteúdo e frutuoso no debate levado a cabo pela Presidência polaca com autoridades europeias, nacionais, regionais e locais, e a sociedade civil. Temos um roadmap, traçado na comunicação da Comissão, de 12 de Abril, com as 12 alavancas. Precisa de ser passado a lei, bem como a estratégia das outras 38 prioridades identificadas no Acto para o Mercado Único.

Para que exista mercado, é necessária confiança. Ora, a confiança dos cidadãos e dos consumidores não pode ser vista como um dado adquirido. Carece de ser estimulada, alimentada. O mercado único não é apenas uma operação de compra e venda. Ele envolve políticas horizontais como a saúde, a protecção social e dos consumidores, o direito do trabalho, o ambiente e o desenvolvimento sustentável.

O Fórum do Mercado Único deve, pois, tornar-se um evento emblemático da União Europeia, com uma realização anual e com um público diversificado e cada vez mais participativo.

  Edvard Kožušník (ECR). - Vážený pane předsedající, dle mého názoru je vnitřní trh jediný nástroj, který může podpořit růst a zaměstnanost v Evropě. Jednotný trh má samozřejmě svůj příběh, který má více než dvacet let, a Fórum o jednotném trhu, které se konalo ve Varšavě, má také svůj příběh. Ten na úrovni myšlenky začal u kolegy Louise Grecha, ale já osobně jsem se s ním setkal při diskuzi, při které byla přítomna kolegyně Róża Gräfin von Thun und Hohenstein a Mario Monti. Myslím si, že je potřeba na tomto místě poděkovat nejenom Komisi, ale je potřeba poděkovat všem kolegům v rámci našeho výboru, protože si myslím, že toto fórum se velmi zdařilo. Samotným potvrzením toho, že se zdařilo, je i to, že naše kolegyně Róża Gräfin von Thun und Hohenstein získala včera ocenění jako nejlepší evropský poslanec, co se týče Výboru pro vnitřní trh. Takže tímto bych jí chtěl pogratulovat jménem ostatních kolegů.

  Elena Băsescu (PPE). - Rolul pieţei unice este decisiv pentru ieşirea Europei din stagnarea economică în contextul actualei crize. Totodată, o monitorizare eficientă pentru punerea în aplicare a normelor privind piaţa unică constituie o condiţie prealabilă pentru succesul ei. Este necesar ca statele membre să îşi intensifice eforturile de transpunere a normelor Uniunii. Conform ultimului tablou de bord al pieţei interne, ţara mea se află printre cele zece state care şi-au îmbunătăţit rezultatele în ceea ce priveşte implementarea legislaţiei europene. Cu o perioadă medie de 2,8 luni de întârziere în transpunerea legislaţiei după expirarea termenului limită, România se poziţionează pe locul patru la acest capitol.

Este important ca Uniunea să încurajeze cooperarea dintre funcţionarii europeni, naţionali, regionali şi locali pentru a eficientiza implementarea normelor europene.

  Silvia-Adriana Ţicău (S&D). - Consolidarea pieţei unice are nevoie de: mobilitatea lucrătorilor şi recunoaşterea calificărilor profesionale, dezvoltarea comerţului electronic şi dezvoltarea unei reţele europene a ghişeelor unice. În vederea recunoaşterii calificărilor profesionale, susţin propunerea forumului de a avea un card profesional european, care ar facilita mobilitatea transnaţională a lucrătorilor în cadrul Uniunii Europene şi ar simplifica procedurile de recunoaştere a calificărilor profesionale. Partenerii sociali, în special sindicatele, joacă un rol important în protecţia lucrătorilor detaşaţi şi în respectarea drepturilor acestora.

Pentru dezvoltarea comerţului electronic, trebuie consolidată încrederea, atât a consumatorilor, cât şi a întreprinderilor şi, în special, a IMM-urilor, în utilizarea mijloacelor electronice. Pentru dezvoltarea pieţei interne digitale, aşteptăm cu interes propunerile Comisiei privind recunoaşterea mutuală a semnăturilor electronice şi identitatea electronică. De asemenea, considerăm necesară actualizarea legislaţiei europene privind protecţia datelor cu caracter personal.

  Ildikó Gáll-Pelcz (PPE). - Elnök Úr! Biztos Úr! A fórumok kulcsszerepet játszanak az információcserében és az együttműködésben. Az egységes piac pedig abban, hogy a növekedési célok és a foglalkoztatásra vonatkozó célok teljesülhessenek. Az irányelv elfogadásában, és az intézkedéscsomag kidolgozásában az Európai Parlamentnek kulcsszerepe volt, és abban is, hogy jövő év végéig megállapodás szülessen. Azonban fontos, hogy ennek a megállapodásnak a rövid távú hatási is már érezhetők lehessenek.

A gazdasági hozadék jelentős, amiről nem mondhatunk le. Azonban ehhez a tagállamoknak maradéktalanul meg kell valósítani az irányelv minden elemét, az egyablakos ügyintézéstől kezdve az információszolgáltatásig. Eközben nem szabad elfeledkeznünk a kkv-król sem. Meggyőződésem hogy a kkv-k a belső piacnak eddig nem voltak a nyertesei. Ezért erőfeszítéseket kell tenni, hogy a szabályozásból adódó erőfeszítéseket csökkenteni lehessen. A Bizottság egyébként tett is egy ilyen vállalást egy hatásvizsgálatra. Várjuk ezt a hatásvizsgálatot.

  Czesław Adam Siekierski (PPE). - Jednym z wyzwań dla Europy w dobie kryzysu finansowego i gospodarczego jest wspieranie jednolitego rynku, który jest podstawą sukcesu w zjednoczonej Europie. Warto przypomnieć, że w kwietniu bieżącego roku Komisja przedstawiła pakiet propozycji mający na celu usprawnienie wspólnego rynku, tak zwany akt o jednolitym rynku autorstwa komisarza Barnier. Na dokument ten składa się szereg projektów, których przyjęcie do końca 2012 roku ma usprawnić działania wspólnego rynku z korzyścią dla przedsiębiorców, pracowników i konsumentów. Od czasu utworzenia rynku wewnętrznego opartego na czterech swobodach – przepływu ludzi, towarów, usług i kapitału – minęło już prawie 20 lat. Mimo to potencjał wzrostu nie został jeszcze w pełni wykorzystany. Dlatego nie ulega wątpliwości, że są to działania niezbędne, aby w pełni wykorzystać tą główną siłę europejskiej gospodarki, jaką jest jednolity rynek.

  Othmar Karas (PPE). - Herr Präsident! Ich möchte zuerst einmal der Frau Abgeordneten Thun und Hohenstein recht herzlich zum ersten Binnenmarktforum gratulieren. Das muss zu einer ständigen Einrichtung werden. Das muss zur Tradition der Europäischen Union, zum Motor des Binnenmarkts werden!

Der Binnenmarkt ist nicht fertig. Die vier Freiheiten sind nicht umgesetzt. Der Binnenmarkt ist das Wachstums- und Beschäftigungspotenzial der Europäischen Union. Wir brauchen nur das, wozu wir uns verpflichtet haben, umsetzen, wir müssen keine neuen Regelungen schaffen, wir müssen nur Barrieren beseitigen. Daher sage ich auch, wir müssen alles dazu beitragen, dass die Mitgliedstaaten alle Rechtsvorschriften, die wir beschließen, lückenlos umsetzen. Sie hinken hinterher. Das Binnenmarktforum muss der jährliche Spiegel für die Verfehlungen und die Festsetzung der Prioritäten und der Zielsetzungen sein.

  John Dalli, Member of the Commission. − Mr President, the discussions that have just been completed are very important in the realisation of our commitment to relaunching the single market and responding proactively to the crisis we are now facing.

The solution of the crisis depends on an effective single market which, in turn, depends on innovative business and empowered consumers. As I said in my introductory comments, we are emphasising the social aspect of the single market because we cannot divorce the consumer from the worker, as participants in the single market. I think the objective of what we are doing here is the advancement of the citizens of Europe. The advancement is not achieved through a record of statistics but in a real, actual quality of life that we can deliver.

Your determination will provide solid political support for the results of the single market. I completely agree with Mr Harbour when he says that this is a collaborative effort. We have to move together. Member States, Parliament, Commission, consumers, businesses; everybody has to move together to make this single market a reality.

I can vouch that in the Commission we are 15 Commissioners who have committed to delivering the global act encompassing several policy areas. We expect the same commitment from the European Parliament with a fast track for the SME agenda.

It will encourage us to continue to organise future events along the lines and in the spirit of the Forum. The Forum that took place in Krakow is not the first and last forum that will be organised. We believe that its success indicates to us the importance of developing this activity on a permanent basis to try to deliver it in a series of similar events. At this stage we cannot determine the exact frequency at which it will happen and, in answer to Ms Thun und Hohenstein, we have not yet determined the location of the next forum or activity that will take place. There were some discussions but no decisions have been taken and everything is still being discussed.

As we have said, as this is a collective effort there should also be collective dialogue in elaborating the details. I believe that we must continue to build on what we have achieved so far. These are all steps in the right direction in order to achieve what we have set out to do – a very active single market.

  Róża Gräfin von Thun und Hohenstein (PPE). - Panie Przewodniczący! Właściwie Pan Komisarz w międzyczasie odpowiedział na pytanie, które chciałam skończyć, ponieważ moja poprzednia wypowiedź była ciut za długa. Chciałam właśnie coś powiedzieć o tej lokalizacji. Przychylam się do tego, co Pan Komisarz powiedział: w Brukseli odbywa się bardzo dużo wydarzeń. Siłą tego ostatniego Forum było między innymi to, że odbyło się ono poza Brukselą. Były to naprawdę konsultacje z normalnymi obywatelami Unii Europejskiej, co było korzystne i dla urzędników, którzy spotkali się z ludźmi, z którymi nie spotykają się na co dzień, i dla 10 tysięcy obywateli, którzy odwiedzali namiot z informacjami, obywateli, którzy korzystają ze wspólnego rynku. Dlatego unikajmy organizacji takich spotkań w Brukseli.

(Przewodniczący odebrał mówczyni głos.)

  Der Präsident. − Zum Abschluss der Aussprache wurde gemäß Artikel 110 Absatz 2 der Geschäftsordnung ein Entschließungsantrag⁽¹⁾ von fünf Fraktionen eingereicht.

Die Aussprache ist geschlossen.

Die Abstimmung findet am Donnerstag, 1. Dezember, um 12.00 Uhr statt.

Schriftliche Erklärungen (Artikel 149)

  Louis Grech (S&D), in writing. – The euro and the single market are the tangible raisons d’être for the EU. The problems and fragmentation besetting the euro and the single market ultimately mean less Europe, and less of the benefits that Europe offers citizens. It is past time that the Member States decide whether they want to proceed with the integration necessary to create jobs and growth within a social, competitive market economy. European integration is not irreversible. We must act immediately to build a holistic, long-term solution to the clear shortcomings of the euro and the single market. The Single Market Forum, held this November, represented a valuable step towards building the necessary consensus on the direction of the single market. Citizens, consumer organisations and SMEs made quite clear that there are substantial gaps between what they expect from the market and what they experience in practice. At the Forum, I called on the Commission to shift from phase one (identifying sources of frustration) to phase two (implementing the necessary solutions to the market’s gaps). Now we must also examine the possibility of holding annual forums in each Member State, whereby the experiences of citizens can feed into a single biannual European Single Market Forum.

  Sehnalova, Olga (S&D), písemně. – Fórum o jednotném trhu, které letos hostil polský Krakov, bylo přelomovou událostí. Umožnilo totiž poprvé skutečně komplexní debatu o jednotném trhu. Těší mě, že kromě stabilních účastníků podobných setkání se fóra zúčastnila i široká veřejnost a že evropští občané měli unikátní možnost vyjádřit svá očekávání či stávající překážky ve fungování jednotného trhu. Věřím, že se fórum stalo prvním z dlouhé řady podobně tematicky zaměřených setkání a že budou v dalších letech následovat další. Za klíčové s ohledem na vývoj jednotného trhu považuji právě posílení debaty se širokou veřejností. Proto vítám, že přijaté usnesení obsahuje výzvu Komisi i členským státům, aby do rozvoje jednotného trhu více zapojily občany. Apel na dostupnost veřejných konzultací ve všech úředních jazycích EU a jejich větší srozumitelnost je rozhodně na místě. Statistiky totiž jednoznačně ukazují, jak nevyužitý je jejich potenciál. Snad bude toto volání konečně Komisí vyslyšeno a vzato v potaz. Umožněme občanům aktivněji participovat na evropské úrovni. Úspěšnému fungování jednotného trhu, což si všichni přejeme, to může jen pomoci.

(1) Siehe Protokoll.