Note on problems of transposition and Member States Screening Process and Timetable. Parliamentary Hearing

One of the key goals of the "Lisbon strategy" - whose aim is to boost competitiveness and employment in the EU - is to extend the benefits of the internal market and of freedom of movement to the service industries. The draft directive on services which the European Commission is submitting to the European Parliament is part of this strategy. Before MEPs decide their positions on this extremely complex issue, the Internal Market and Social Affairs Committees of the EP decided to seek the views of experts at a public hearing held on 11 November in Brussels. Services generate between 50% and 70% of GDP in the Union and account for 60% to 70% of new jobs. The service industries could grow even more if they did not face a whole range of obstacles. The directive is intended to give a legal framework to this sector and thus facilitate the free movement of services and the right for service providers to set up in different Member States, while also providing legal certainty for providers and customers. However, services cannot all be treated the same, for various political and legal reasons. Firstly, for some services, legislation already exists or is in the pipeline, e.g. competitiveness, posting of workers and refunding of healthcare costs. Secondly, each country has its own traditions and political sensitivities, for example on services of general interest. Nevertheless, the directive is not proposing to place services in different categories. On the contrary, the Commission says it should adopt a single, standard approach and that the way to accommodate differences is by means of exemptions and derogations.