Call for Action by EuroCommerce: Preserve the Unified Marketplace!
The European Parliament's recent decision to open negotiations on the cross-border enforcement of Unfair Trading Practices (UTP) rules has raised concerns about the future of the Single Market. Christel Delberghe, the Director General of EuroCommerce, has expressed her apprehension, likening the situation to the Single Market having a knife at its chest.
The Single Market, a cornerstone of the European Union, benefits a multitude of stakeholders - farmers, suppliers, consumers, retailers, and wholesalers. However, the new rules could potentially push all agri-food chain operators to buy nationally, thus removing the benefits of economies of scale and weakening the market's competitive edge.
This decision is also a blow to companies' competitiveness and resilience. The restriction in market access for farmers and processors is a potential consequence of the new rules. Allowing extraterritorial application of national rules not harmonised at EU level poses a serious risk for legal certainty and the Single Market.
The European Parliament's negotiating mandate enables Member States to enforce their own national rules on UTPs outside of national borders. This could lead to businesses seeing contracts they enter legally under national and EU law being investigated by other authorities in other countries.
The potential outcomes of these new rules could be increased prices for consumers due to the difficulty and risk in sourcing food from other Member States. Strengthening the impact of territorial supply constraints could fuel higher prices for consumers, a development that the European Parliament's decision could potentially leave consumers worse off.
The vote is thus a blow to the benefits the Single Market brings to consumers. President Von der Leyen hailed the Single Market as 'our anchor of stability and resilience' in April. The decision comes at a time when the Single Market Roadmap to 2028, as mentioned by Christel Delberghe in her State of the European Union speech yesterday, aims to further strengthen the market.
The leading negotiators in the discussions on the transnational application of rules against unfair trade practices in the European market are representatives from the European Commission and member states, with negotiations expected to begin in late 2025. EuroCommerce, deeply concerned about the weakening of the Single Market due to this decision, has called for a united stand to fight for the Single Market's preservation and growth.
Read also:
- Catastrophe at a U.S. Steel facility in Pennsylvania results in the loss of two lives. crucial details unveiled
- Manipulating Sympathy: Exploiting Victimhood for Personal Gain
- Prices remain a concern for the Germans
- Auto Industry Updates: Geotab, C2A, Deloitte, NOVOSENSE, Soracom, and Panasonic in Focus
