Single Market: EP adopts measures to relaunch growth in Europe.

Celebrating 20 years of the Single Market, the European Parliament today adopted a Report by Regina Bastos MEP on the concerns of European citizens and businesses and the functioning of the Single Market. The Plenary debated the Single Market's achievements and aspects that still need to be improved in order to complete it and re-launch growth in Europe. The European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, Michel Barnier, took part in the debate in Strasbourg.

"We are all proud of the 20-year existence of the Single Market that has been the engine for the great economic and working opportunities that have changed the lives of European citizens and enterprises. But in certain domains of our daily lives, so many simple things are still very complex, hard and expensive things, such as the reimbursement of medical expenses after a temporary stay in other EU country, opening a bank account by an Erasmus student, changing energy supplier, pension transfers, the recognition of qualifications, and the recognition of car plates in another Member State", said Regina Bastos MEP.

The Portuguese Member of the EPP Group believes that fostering the markets in the digital era will create new opportunities. In this context, E-commerce has great potential so that SMEs and Research & Development and Innovation sectors will benefit from it, fighting youth unemployment in Europe. The EPP Group's target is to reduce bureaucratic burdens by 25% by 2015.

"The message of the Report is very clear: a strong political will is needed from the Member States and from the European Institutions to govern together and in a better way; there is a need to win back the confidence of our people and enterprises and to facilitate the exercise of their rights", concluded Regina Bastos MEP.