Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council - Draft action plan for the single market
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Brussels, 0 6. 0 5. 1 9 97 COM(97) 184 final COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 10 THE EUROPEAN P A J U J A M F NT A Np THE COUNCIL DRAFT ACTION PLAN FOR THE SINGLE MARKET This draft summarises the Commission's current thinking concerning an Action Plan for the Single Market. The final Action Plan will be presented by the Commission to the European Council in Amsterdam TABLE OF CONTENTS Why an Action Plan now?. The Draft Action Plan: four Strategic Targets. Strategic target 1: Making the rules more effective. Action 1: Action 2: Action 3: Action 4: Action 5: Action 6: Put agreed Single Market legislation into force Establish a framework for enforcement and problem-solving Strengthen checks on products Better access for business to the right information _. National and Community rules must be simplified Tackle weaknesses in the existing legal framework. _ Strategic target 2: Dealing with key market distortions. Action 7 : Remove tax distortions Action 2 : Create a common system for value-added tax Action 3 : Restructure the Community framework for the taxation of energy products Action 4: A rigorous approach to competition policy Strategic target 3: Removing sectoral obstacles to market integration Action 1: Break down the barriers in service markets. Action 2: Give businesses the structures they need for efficient cross-frontier operations Action 3: Face the challenge of innovation and new technology. _ _ Strategic target 4: Delivering a Single Market for the benefit of all citizens. Action 1 : Elimina te border controls Action 2: The right of residence Action 3: Protecting social rights Action 4: Promoting labour mobility within the Union Action 5: Consumer rights and health protection Action 6 Dialogue with the Citizen. _. _„_ The international dimension of the Single Market- Conclusion Annex: List of Actions (to be taken before 1 January 1999) 8 _. 9 9 9 9 9. 10 10 7 7 7 7. 11. 11 7 7 77 12 12 12. 13 14. 14 H~"> WHY AN ACTION PLAN NOW? the creation of 1. The European Single Market is the world's largest domestic market. It has contributed significantly to growth, competitiveness and employment. It has been responsible for an increase in EU income of between 1. 1% and 1. 5% between and for 300. 000 and 900. 000 jobs but its potential is still to be realised. Barriers still stand in the way. Europe needs a better Single Market for more growth, more innovation and more jobs, a that works for everyone - market citizens, consumers, small companies - a dynamic, and larger business socially knowledge-based market, the to sensitive responsible concerns of everyone affected by it. A consolidated and properly functioning Single Market will help to ensure a transition to the single currency in the most favourable conditions and will contribute to a successful enlargement. The Commission's 1996 Report on the Impact and Effectiveness of the Single Market contains recommendations on what still needs to be done. The received a very wide Report has degree of support from Member States. The political will is evident. This needs to be translated into targeted action. and - seeking 2. The Single Market is not simply an economic structure. At its heart are 370 million better people employment opportunities, improved living and working conditions, and a wider choice of quality products and services for including everyone to services of general interest - at lower prices. The Single Market is working in their interests. Much has already been achieved. Individuals already enjoy the right to move and the Union. The throughout work Single Market sets basic standards of health and safety, equal opportunities access through and labour law. However, more needs to be done to enforce these rights effectively. In addition, social policy the process of must help smooth interplay change, promoting a new between flexibility and security, for example appropriate information and consultation. The strategy, employment European the Dublin European agreed Council, the underpinned Commission's Confidence Pact for Employment, will help to give people and the opportunity improve the Commission will work with Member social to help modernise States protection systems and make them more employment-friendly. their skills. Similarly, to upgrade by at 3. The Single Market stands or falls on confidence; confidence that all the key rules are in place; that they are fully and fairly applied; that problems will be addressed quickly; that the ground- rules for fair competition are fully respected; confidence for consumers in the reliability of goods and services and of for smaller companies, the employment generators, that the market can work for them; confidence that each and every government to it work. Doing business, making the in living or working moving, Union's internal "area without frontiers" should become as easy as within any Member State. information: confidence is committed 4. The Action Plan announced the performance of in the conclusions of the Dublin European the clear objective of Council has improving the Single Market in the years ahead. The third stage of EMU represents a critical juncture, at which the Single Market must provide underlying economic support for monetary union and the I. "! Euro will provide added value and efficiency to the Single Market. The actions proposed are ambitious. It will take considerable political will to carry them through. Time is short. But if we succeed, confidence will improve and Europe will have a Single Market capable of generating more growth and more jobs, while safeguarding the European social model. The final version of the Action Plan will be put to the European Council in Amsterdam when the Council will be invited: to make a firm commitment to the full execution of this Action Plan before 1 January 1999 and the start of the third stage of EMU; • to provide for the necessary priority treatment of any legislative proposals in (a "fast-track" approach) ; the Action Plan • to review progress at each meeting of the European Council in the run-up to December 1998. The Commission will regularly publish and draw to the attention of each Internal Market Council and European Council a "Single Market Scoreboard" containing detailed indicators of the state of the Single Market and of Member States' level the Action of commitment to fulfilling Plan. THE DRAFT ACTION PLAN: FOUR STRATEGIC TARGETS Plan follows The Action the Commission's report on the Impact and Effectiveness of the Single Market. It sets priorities to allow a clear and strategic vision of what is now needed. At this stage, four Strategic Targets have been identified. They are of equal importance and must be pursued in parallel: 1 Making the rules more effective: The Single Market must be based on Proper enforcement of confidence. is the only way to common rules achieve this goal. Simplification of rules at Community and national level is also essential to reduce the burden on business and create more jobs. course, new ones - are removed. This may require legislative action to fill gaps in the Single Market framework, but also calls for a significant change in national administrations' attitudes towards the Single Market. freedom generates personal 4. Delivering a Single Market for the benefit of all citizens: The Single employment, Market increases and benefits consumers, while ensuring high levels of both health and safety and environmental protection. But further steps are needed. And to enjoy their Single Market rights to the full, citizens must be aware of these rights and be able to obtain redress. 2. Dealing key with market general There distortions: agreement that tax barriers and anti competitive constitute distortions that need to be tackled. behaviour is 3. Removing sectoral obstacles to integration: The Single market Market will only deliver full potential if remaining barriers - and, of its each target, strategic identified a the Within Commission has limited number of specific actions to be achieved by I January 1999 (a list is given in the Annex). This is a selective approach, but in other areas clearly to consolidate the Single Market will be pursued. action Action 1: Put agreed Single Market legislation into force Only 65% of Single Market rules are fully operational in all 15 Member States. The Single Market clearly cannot function optimally in these conditions. Member States will be called on to submit their detailed timetable and to demonstrate political commitment to eliminate, by 1 January 1999 at the latest, any delay in transposition. The Single Market Scoreboard will be used to keep track of progress. Meanwhile the Commission will continue pursue infringement procedures against Member States which fail in these obligations using, where necessary, the possibilities of sanctions against Member States. vigorously to Action 2: Establish a framework for enforcement and problem-solving to The consumers. Single Market Problems need to be sorted out quickly in today's avoid undermining of confidence of business informal and arrangements for cooperation between Member States and between them and the Commission have proved only partly successful and now need to be upgraded. The Commission will therefore press each Member State to designate a coordination centre within administration its that any for ensuring responsible problems raised by other Member States or the Commission are solved by the authorities directly concerned within strict deadlines. This will be a key component in a simple but effective framework for enforcement cooperation, which will also provide; for more transparency about enforcement structures and peer review or mutual audit of national enforcement. Telematic links between enforcement authorities will be further developed under the second IDA programme. The Commission intends to submit serious cases of non-application to the Internal STRATEGIC TARGET 1: MAKING THE RULES MORE EFFECTIVE ensure Market Council strong to commitment and involvement in problem solving at political level and. in parallel, will treatment of infringement procedures. Strengthening of the Commission's enforcement powers under the Treaty would be desirable to further reduce delays in problem solving. accelerate its Action 3: Strengthen checks on products At present the checks that are carried out on compliance with product rules are uneven and could compromise consumer protection and fair competition. The legislative Commission will make proposals to strengthen common rules for market surveillance by, for example, providing for joint inspection schemes or more detailed inspection procedures in areas that will include industrial and consumer foodstuffs, products, pharmaceutical products and medical devices. Scientific expertise, which is important for the application of the legislation to market surveillance, must be mobilized and used more widely for legislative purposes at Community level. linked and Action 4: Better access for business to the right information Access to information is essential to ensure that businesses are aware of opportunities in the Single Market, how to exploit them and how to solve problems. Information must be made accessible rapidly and in user-friendly ways. The Commission will set up an Internet shop for information on all Single Market to regulations affecting business, complement and be coordinated with the Euro Info Centres, which have been assigned a "first-stop" objective under the multi-annual programme for SMEs (1997- 2000). This service will be part of the Europa Website and will also be linked to the Member States' Websites. Businesses will be able to provide feedback on their experience on the ground. Action 5: National and Community rules must be simplified and improved is Over-regulation the enemy of job creation - the Union's top priority. Over- complex rules, most of them national, impose unnecessary costs on operators. The Commission will set up a permanent rolling programme of simplification and improvement of Single Market legislation, combining SLIM and other simplification exercises. It will include VAT, banking, fertilizers, insurance consumer services, telecommunications, customs rules and procedures and possibly other sectors, including company law. The Commission will undertake pilot projects consultation improve procedures with business regarding the implementing certain new costs of legislative including proposals, consultation of a European Business Test Panel. securities, and to to Member States will be called upon to commit parallel a themselves including programme of simplification, the comprehensive use of more regulatory impact analysis procedures and to simplify national regulatory and administrative procedures for business start-ups. Businesses and citizens' organisations will be invited to alert the Commission to national rules which they consider to be abnormally The Commission will publicize and take up the most significant cases with the Member State concerned. burdensome. Action 6: Tackle weaknesses in the existing legal framework There are a number of areas where the existing Single Market framework needs to be improved. The Commission intends, as a priority, to propose action in the following areas: • public procurement: action will be the following proposed on consultation undertaken publication of the Green Paper; the basis of • application of the mutual recognition principle: Member States and the Commission will need to cooperate closely on cases of non- recognition made under Council Decision 3052/95 and ensure that adequate political attention is given, including at Council the effective application of the principle of mutual recognition; level, to • European standardization: a new to given will impulsion be standardization policy; • conformity marking of products: a re-evaluation of CE marking will be undertaken in view of the proliferation of national marks; • construction products: modifications will be proposed to the construction products Directive to ensure its effective operation; • transit rules: computerisation of transit procedures is needed in order to reduce fraud and the administrative burden on business; • the and Single Market the environment: the Commission will produce guidelines on how Single Market policy can further contribute to sustainable development and how any potential conflicts between Single Market and environment policies can be remedied. Action 11 Remove tax distortions Tax barriers and distortions to the Single Market have not yet been tackled with tax sufficient determination. Harmful increases Member States' competition difficulties tax in restructuring systems and delays progress towards a more coherent tax system within the Union. A co-ordinated approach is essential. Member States, by acting together, can tackle this issue. their Member States will therefore be asked to agree to a tax package designed to achieved a balance their interests comprising: between • the elimination of distortions in the in capital taxation of particular, through adoption of a modified proposal for a Directive on the taxation of savings; income, • the elimination of tax obstacles to cross-border economic activity, in particular by eliminating withholding taxes on interest and royalty payments between companies; • a code of conduct designed to tackle harmful tax competition that causes difficulties for every Member State. the scope and In this context, the Commission will also clarify the coherence application of the Community competition rules, including rules on state aids. improve of Progress on this package should help Member States to make their tax systems employment-friendly, become more reducing the burden on labour and thereby promoting job creation. Further work is also needed on removing double taxation of frontier workers. DEALING WITH KEY MARKET DISTORTIONS STRATEGIC TARGET 2: Action 2: Create a common system for value-added tax: for the The current VAT system imposes an excessive burden on business and discourages cross-frontier trade. The Council and Parliament are invited to adopt the proposals modernization and a more coherent and uniform application of the tax together advance with administrative among Member States and to engage as quickly as possible in the process of change to the radically simpler origin-based VAT system proposed by the Commission. to cooperation proposals the Action 3: Restructure the Community framework for the taxation of energy products At present, only mineral oils are subject to a Community system for minimum taxation. For other products, Member States are free to tax at the rate of their choice or to apply no tax at all. This leads the different to distortions between the sources of energy and between Member States. For this reason the Council is called upon to adopt the the Commission's Community minimum rate system be widened to all energy products and that there should be a gradual approximation of national rates of taxation for all energy products. proposal that Action 4: A rigorous approach to competition policy The rigorous application of competition policy is essential to ensure that anti competitive practices on the part of companies or national authorities do not choke off the competitive dynamics of the single market. The volume of state aids granted in the EU remains at worryingly high levels, representing annually 95 billion ECU and -. -. _ 9 _ between 0. 4 and 2. 6% of GDP in the different Member States during the 1992- 1994 period. In addition, 85% of aid to industry is accounted for by 4 important economies of the Union. As well as being a source of distortion of competition, the level of aid weighs on public high the budgets and efficient functioning of the Single Market. Inasmuch as aids tend to concentrate on large enterprises they also damage the competitive position of SMEs. risks endangering Commission action alone is not sufficient. A dialogue with the Member States to fix precise objectives and a timetable for the reduction of overall aid budgets appears therefore as a necessary complement to the Commission's action. To redress the negative the present situation, the Commission will propose new guidelines on regional aids aiming at reducing regional disparities by concentrating aid in the poorest regions and levels to better take account of the socio-economic It will situation impact on cohesion of the maximum lowering region. each of of on regional large resources on assessment of concentrate the those aid cases which represent the greatest threat to competition and the Single Market, functioning is aid particularly where concentrated investment projects. The Commission will also further and rules on tighten restructuring aid, while taking account of the role of appropriate levels of aid in cushioning of it will restructuring. examine whether state aid rules can be to limit the risk of state aid modified providing for délocalisation. social Furthermore, incentives rescue effects unfair the the and restraints to focus attention on Anti-trust rules will be simplified and modernised by the revision of policies on vertical horizontal cooperation agreements. Action will be taken the most serious infringements and to decentralise the application of the competition rules to the Member States as far as possible without endangering level playing field within the Single Market. the STRATEGIC TARGET 3: REMOVING SECTORAL OBSTACLES TO MARKET INTEGRATION Action 1: Break down the barriers in service markets to Service markets account for 70% of Union GDP but they are less integrated than other markets. In financial sen/ices, the lack of a real Single Market for investment funds is a major handicap for Europe's potential into channel investments. Far-reaching productive steps are required. The Commission will propose directive on framework Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (UCITS) to tackle the remaining obstacles. Member States are called upon to adopt the directive by the January 1999 deadline. savings a impose Some Member States strict quantitative rules on the investments of pension funds. These result in lower returns which raise indirect labour costs (and thus reduce job creation) and reduce 10 the potential of a European capital market. EMU will make currency matching restrictions irrelevant. Member States are called upon to move towards the elimination of these restrictions in anticipation of the introduction of the to Euro. Further work is also needed improve to the availability of capital SMEs. the need full account of The balanced opening of public utilities, taking to promote access for everyone to services of general interest, will contribute to a better overall allocation of resources. The liberalization of gas supplies has to be agreed. The Community Institutions and the Member States must ensure that the national measures required to implement agreed in telecommunications and electricity are that networks are taken time and , effectively open to competition. opening market in railway services, In transport, priority will be given to opening up access to the provision of crossborder and railfreight freeways. In the air transport the field, new rules for charges and allocation of slots at Community airports institutional and the creation of new traffic structures for air safety and air management are essential for effective market integration. Action 2: Improve the business environment for cross-frontier operations Companies incur unnecessary costs and delays by having to comply with different national registration rules when operating in more than one Member State. The Commission calls upon the Council to adopt, by 1 January 1999, its proposals on the Tenth Company Law Directive on mergers and on the European Company the the Statute, recommendations of the group chaired by Viscount Davignon. light of in Increasingly long payment periods have serious consequences for all European firms, in particular SMEs whose cash-flow, profitability and competitiveness and opportunities to trade across frontiers are undermined. SMEs' competitive position as suppliers to larger particular, In firms is often distorted by deliberately long payment delays by the latter. The public sector should also set a better example. The Commission will publish a little report shortly which shows action has been taken by Member States to reduce the this problem, and payments situation is getting worse. In the absence of sufficient action by Member States before the end of the year, the Commission will propose a draft directive to reduce late payments in Europe. that that Action 3: Face the challenge of technology and new innovation transparency mechanism Electronic commerce offers enormous opportunities for cross-border trading in Europe. A clear regulatory framework will give consumers the confidence to use it and businesses the incentive to make the necessary investments. The Commission seeks early agreement on its proposal for a as recent Electronic indicated Commerce it will make proposals on distance-selling of financial services, copyright, digital signatures and conditional access services. The Commission's new proposal on the protection of biotechnological inventions should be adopted in the same time frame. its Initiative, and, in DELIVERING A SINGLE MARKET FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL CITIZENS STRATEGIC TARGET 4: Action 1: Eliminate border controls Action 2: The right of residence The continued existence of controls on individuals at internal frontiers represents the Single Market's most important failing for many citizens. In the light of the IGC, outcome of discussions Member States are called upon to agree and flanking measures necessary to provide a secure framework for the free movement of people so as to allow urgent adoption by the Council of the on Commission's eliminating frontier controls. proposals apply the the in People the Free The High Level Panel on Movement the and of Commission's report on Citizenship of the Union have highlighted a number of shortcomings in the way citizens can exercise their right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States. In order to remedy this situation and to give full value to citizenship of the Union, the Commission will propose, inter alia, ll arrangements for short-term residents and adaptation of the right to reside and to remain in the host Member State. Member States are called upon to act swiftly on these proposals in order to give its full meaning to the notion of Union citizenship. Action 3: Protecting social rights Social policies have a crucial role to play in the development of the Single Market by defining a new interplay between flexibility and security. This will help create the conditions for change, and promote new ways of working while guaranteeing adequate social rights. The social dialogue has a vital role to play in this respect. Negotiations are currently taking place between the social partners on part-time work, and the recent Green new Paper organisation of work has launched a broad debate on how to respond to these new challenges. This will be followed by specific initiatives in the framework of a new Social Action Programme in early 1998. partnership for on a restructuring from resulting Industrial market integration is beneficial to the Union's economy but can have serious social consequences for the communities involved. The Commission will monitor closely the application of the Community rules on the consultation of workers. It calls on the Member States to review national provisions for the enforcement of these rules and the penalties which apply. It will also soon launch consultation of the Social Partners at European level on possible Community framework rules on information and consultation at national the Commission will level. Finally continue to define a more balanced and coherent approach in the application of all Community policies affecting industrial restructuring. This will include efforts to encourage companies and the Member States to anticipate the consequences of restructuring the and employability of workers by adapting training and social protection systems. ensure 12 Action 4: Promoting labour mobility within the Union of measures designed Although the Treaty has long guaranteed European citizens the right to live and work labour in any Member State, mobility in the Single Market remains low. This is partly due to remaining barriers to the free movement of workers, which must be eliminated. Building on the report of the High Level Panel referred to above, the Commission will propose a package to overcome these barriers. In parallel, it will present a proposal on supplementary pensions, the simplification and modernisation of the system security arrangements for people moving about the Union. The Council is also called on to adopt the Commission's proposals on extending the scope of family reunion and consolidating to equal treatment as regards social benefits. coordinating and work the right towards social To raise awareness of job opportunities in other Member States and increase labour mobility the Commission will improve the EURES database on pan-EU employment opportunities. Member States will be invited to make this information more widely available by integrating it into the mainstream of their public employment services. Action 5: Consumer rights and health protection Consumers may hesitate before buying goods and services, including financial services, across frontiers because they are unsure of their rights. Agreement on the proposal on consumer guarantees would for the be one of improving consumer confidence. important step Consumer health protection will be reinforced through more effective use of scientific advice, control and risk analysis. This will be used to ensure that consumer health is taken into account during the drafting of new legislation, that current legislation is properly applied and that Community interests are defended in the international context. In addition, the Commission is considering whether primary agricultural products should be on covered producers' liability for defective products. by Directive 85/374 Action 6: Dialogue with the Citizen the about Most European citizens are keen to find rights out more and the Single opportunities offered by Market; more than half a million people have already made use of Citizens First to find out what they need to do in practice that considers in another to reside, study or work Member State. Building on experience, the Commission a permanent mechanism is necessary for dialogue with citizens on their rights and how tc exercise them. A Signpost Service will also be made available to advise citizens who run into problems and need help. Feedback from this mechanism will eliminate help identify the administrative obstacles and keep how Commission Community in practice. about respected informed are rules and to THE INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF THE SINGLE MARKET Its size investment environment. The Single Market cannot be considered in isolation from its wider economic and political and potential growth already constitute an asset in terms of attracting international trade and to Europe. The Single Market is providing the conditions international for competitiveness and its success serves as a model for other regions. These strengths will be reinforced by a single currency. The Union should capitalise more on these advantages. improving European (ii) The global context of the Singh Market The Single Market is the reflection of Europe's open economy, with its rules and standards frequently a reference for many countries. This is an asset which should allow the Union to play a stronger role it speaks clearly with one voice. Action will focus particularly on the following areas: fora provided international in • approximation of systems and rules in the Euro-Mediterranean area; (i) Preparing for enlargement • attacking technical barriers to trade in into their integration As agreed by the European Council following the Commission's 1995 White Paper, the associated countries preparing for accession must be assisted to prepare for the Single Market. The extension of the activities of Information the Technical Assistance Exchange Office (TAIEX) beyond 1997 will contribute to that objective. Where fully the Community acquis has been the Conformity Assessment integrated, Agreements offer the possibility of opening markets. third country markets; • assisting SMES to compete in world markets; • favouring the use of international standards in national and international technical regulations; • negotiation of mutual recognition agreements; • fighting intellectual property fraud; • liberalising financial services (GATS); • a common negotiating position for air transport; • coordination of Member States international communications; fora for • strengthening and expanding WTO and competition for disciplines investments. 13 in tele An important step will be to ensure full Community participation in international particularly organisations, those the development of responsible technical regulations and standards and full exploitation of other frameworks, such as the Trans-Atlantic Business Dialogue. for CONCLUSION further requires the the Union's external The policing of to frontiers strengthen customs authorities to work together as effectively as possible, particularly fight against fraud. ability action the of in The draft Action Plan is the key to unlock the full potential of the Single Market. It should improve the competitiveness and job-creating capability of business in the run-up to the introduction of the single currency. It represents a balanced and full coherent approach which account of the concerns of individual citizens regarding their personal rights, the environment, the protection of health and safety, and the social dimension. takes The prize is immense. If we are successful confidence could be generated across Europe. The European Union will be able to draw strength before the end of the century from the convergence of several major developments : a first-rate single market, the single currency, new pan- European market as previously closed sectors open up and enlargement of the Union - all leading to more employment opportunities. opportunities institutions and All Community the Member States are called on to play their full part in ensuring a strong positive response to this call for action to ensure that all the elements of the Plan finalized at the Amsterdam European Council are implemented before the 1 January 1999 deadline. ANNEX: LIST OF ACTIONS (TO BE TAKEN BEFORE 1 JANUARY 1999) 1. Making the rules more effective • All delays in transposition of the to be legislation Single Market eliminated • Establishment of a framework for enforcement and problem-solving • Adoption of new rules on market surveillance in selected sectors of • Adoption second IDA programme • Implementation of 2000 programme up • Speeding procedures the Customs infringement • Establishment of an Internet shop for information on all Single Market rules affecting business • Extension of SLIM and other 14 of insurance European for certain simplification work to new sectors : and VAT, banking, securities,consumer services, telecommunications, customs rules and procedures and fertilizers a Consultation Business Test Panel legislative proposals Simplification of national business start-up rules Follow-up to Commission initiatives concerning public procurement, European mutual conformity marking, standards, construction products, transit rules and links between Single Market policy and the environment. recognition, the ANNEX: LIST OF ACTIONS (TO BE TAKEN BEFORE 1 JANUARY 1999) CONTINUED 2. Dealing with key market distortions • Adoption of proposals the modernization and more coherent application of VAT for • Restructuring framework for energy products the Community taxation of the • Adoption package a (modified Directive on the taxation tax of 3. Attacking sectoral obstacles to market integration of on a new general Adoption of framework UCITS Directive Reduction restrictions of investment by pension funds Agreement on the liberalisation of gas supply Implementation communications liberalization on time Agreements on crossborder railway services and railfreight freeways Adoption of new rules on the allocation of airport slots and on charges Agreements of on European Air Safety Agency and new EUROCONTROL convention tele electricity creation and 4. Delivering a Single Market for the benefit of all citizens of on accompanying Adoption measures and of 3 Directives on c o n t r o l s, abolition of frontier to right restrictions movement and the right to travel Adaptation of right to reside and remain in another Member State Adoption supplementary pensions of Directive the on of savings, Directive on crossborder payment of interest and royalties, code of conduct on harmful tax competition) Guidelines on regional state aid schemes , stricter rules on rescue and and simplification of anti-trust rules. restructuring aids for a mutualities and Adoption of the proposals for the European Company Statute , related for statutes on co proposals operatives, and the Tenth associations Company Law Directive Adoption of proposal Directive on late payments Adoption of electronic commerce- related measures (proposals on transparency mechanism, copyright and rights protection, distance selling of financial services, digital conditional access services) Adoption of Directive on protection of inventions the biotechnological signatures, related Improvement and wider use of the EURES employment database Adoption of Directive on the sale of consumer goods and associated guarantees Establishment of a mechanism for dialogue with citizens Consultation of the social partners on information and consultation of workers. 15 — ISSN 0254-1475 COM(97) 184 final DOCUMENTS 10 01 Catalogue number : CB-C0-97-197-EN-C ISBN 92-78-19520-0 Office for Official Publications of the European Communities L-2985 Luxembourg