MEP Marlene Mizzi urges a fairer and better-functioning Single Market

MEP Marlene Mizzi was one of the keynote speakers in the Single Market Forum 2016/2017 held in Malta and organised by the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the European Union together with the European Commission.

The forum focused on generating further momentum for the Single Market and followed the success of a series of the Single Market Forum workshops organised throughout the year. The conference included local entrepreneurs who shared their experiences in relation to the Single Market and came to an end with a number of high-level interventions.

“Despite the Single Market’s significant achievements, citizens, consumers and businesses have been regularly dissatisfied with it,” said Marlene Mizzi. “Borders do not exist in the digital world but they do exist in a fragmented Single Market!”

Marlene Mizzi emphasised that a true single market is of paramount importance for the EU economy since it will create new opportunities and economies of scale for European companies, strengthen industrial competitiveness and enables people to live, study and work in the country of their choice with less hiccups. “Opposing the Single Market ultimately means less Europe and less benefits that Europe offers to its citizens.”

As a member of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee in the European Parliament, MEP Marlene Mizzi has been working towards a fairer Single Market that is politically supported, economically viable and socially acceptable by the European citizens.

Mizzi mentioned a number of measures that can generate further momentum for re-launching a Market that is capable of matching the demands of tomorrow’s economy, and in particular of the digital economy. She said that the EU needs to embrace a single holistic approach in shaping and implementing Single Market legislation, and adopt a horizontal approach for all the initiatives under the Digital Market Strategy. The EU needs clear rules for businesses and proper enforcement across all Member States, and needs to improve information and financing for SMEs.

Whilst acknowledging the progress made by the Commission, MEP Mizzi said that the complexities of the Single Market should not be underestimated.

“The single market is influenced by political, economic and social tensions and challenges. It can never be perfect, never truly complete. But, we can at least try to ensure it functions properly and fairly. We owe this to our citizens,” concluded Marlene Mizzi.