MAKING THE MOST OF EUROPE, J

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1 BEGN WTH ' : ~ ) SPEECH BY MR CHRSTOPHER TUGENDHAT, VCE PRESDENT OF THE COMMSSON OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNTES TO THE NATONAL CONFERENCE OF THE CB N EASTBOURNE ON 5 NOVEMBER 1984 MAKNG THE MOST OF EUROPE, J ',_ THS S, UNDERSTAND, THE FRST OCCASON A ' ON WHCH A GUEST SPEAKER HAS EVER ADDRESSED THE CB ANNUAL CoNFERENCE, SHOULD L 1 KE To THANK vou FOR CONFERRNG THS HONOUR ON ME AND TO SAY HOW MUCH J APPRECATE T, THS WLL BE ONE OF THE LAST SPEECHES SHALL MAKE AS A VCE -PRES DENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMSSON AND! CANNOT THNK OF A BETTER P(ATFORM FROM WH~CH TO DELVER T, THE CB's COMMTMENT TO THE EUROPEAN COMMUN TV S CLEAR AND. LONG-STANDNG AND YOU HAVE SHOWN YOURSELF TO BE EXTREMELY EFFECTVE AT REPRESENTNG YOUR MEMBERS 1 NTERESTS N BRUSSELS AND STRASBOURG, THE THEME OF THS SESSON S "MAKNG THE MOST OF EuROPE", SHALL TELL vou How THNK THE EUROPEAN N ST TUT ONS AND NDEED THE NAT t'onal GOVERNMENTS, WHCH N THE COUNCL OF MNSTERS TAKE THE FNAL DECSONS, SHOULD SET ABOUT ACHEVNG THAT OBJECTVE N THE NDUSTRAL SPHERE,

2 BEGN WTH TWO PONTS OF PRNCPLE: THE FRST S THAT THEY SHOULD ALWAYS BEAR N MND THAT THERE ARE GREAT DFFERENCES N THE NDUSTRAL, FNANCAL AND SOCAL STRUCTURES OF THE VAROUS EUROPEAN ECONOMES ARSNG OUT OF THER OWN NDVDUAL HSTORC EXPERENCES, ALL NEED THE OPPORTUNTES THAT ONLY A EUROPE-WfE COMMON MARKET CAN PROVDE, BUT THESE DFFERENCES MUST BE TAKEN NTO ACCOUNT WHEN LEGSLATVE PROPOSALS ARE BENG FRAMED AND NEEDLESS HARMONZATON MUST BE AVODED, EUROPEAN COMPANES OF ALL NATONALTES ARE MORE LKELY TO BE COMPET J T VE ON. WORLD MARKETS F THEY CAN ORGANSE THEMSELVES N THE MANNER THAT FTS MOST EASLY WTH THER NATONAL NEEDS AND TRADTONS, SO LONG AS THAT DOES NOT NHBT THE FREE MOVEMENT OF GOODS AND SERVCES WTHN THE CoMMUNTY. /SECOND, THE EUROPEAN - 2 -

3 SECOND, THE EUROPEAN NSTTUTONS MUST REMEMBER THAT THE BGGEST NDUSTRAL CHALLENGE FACNG ALL MEMBER STATES S THE REDUCTO~ OF DSTORTONS AND RESTRANTS THAT NH,BT THE EFFCENT FUNCTONNG OF THE ECONOMY, UNDER THE i! r ' GUSE OF SPREADNG THE AVALABLE WORK MO~~ WDELY, ENHANCNG THE POSTON OF DSADVANTAGED GROUPS AND MANtANNG PROFESSONAL STANDARDS~ THE POLTCAL P~ESSUAES TO NCREASE THESE DSTORTONS AND RESTRANTS ARE VERY STRONG, AT A TME OF HGH A UNEMPLOYMENT THAT S UNDERSTANDABLE, PEOPLE NATURALLY BECOME DEFENSVE,,, i., i t BUT DEFENSVENESS N THESE CRCUMSTANCES CAN BE NO MORE EFFECTVE THAN KNG CANUTE'S ATTEMPT, TO iwhold BACK THE TDE, THOSE N CHARGE OF THE COMMUNTY MUST RESST THESE PRESSURES AN) NSTEAD USE THER NFLUENCE TO MAKE THE EUROPE-WDE MARKET WORK MORE FREELY, THE SNGLE, MOST MPORTANT CONTR BUT f ON THE EUROPEAN NSTTUTONS CAN MAKE TO ENHANCNG THE COMPETTVTY OF EUROPEAN NDUSTRY AND THUS ~0 3 - /REDUCNG fhe PRESENT '.! j

4 REDUCNG THE PRESENT TERRBLE LEVEL OF UNEMPLOY MENT, S THE CREATON OF A REAL COMMON NTERNAL MARrl,f T, COMPARABLE TO THAT WHCH EXSTS N THE UNTED STATES, OF COURSE AM. NOT SAYNG THAT S ALL THAT NEEDS To BE DONE, Bur AM SAYNG THAT, GVEN THE PARTCULAR RESPONSBLTES VESTED N THE EuROPEAN NSTTUTONS T S WHAT THEY SHOULD CONCENTRATE ON, ( :! A WANT TO SEE A STUATON CREATED N WHCH MANAGEMENTS CAN REGARD THE (OMMUN TY AS A SNGLE MARKET N :'HCH DECSONS ARE TAKEN ON THE BASS OF ECONOMC EFFCENCY NSTEAD OF WTH A VEW TO MAXMSNG THE BENEFTS AND MNMSNG THE DSADVANTAGES ARSNG FROM THE CONTNUED EXSTENCE OF SEPARATE NATONAL MARKETS, F EUROPE REALLY BECAME A SNGLE MARKET N WHCH MANUFACTURERS AND THOSE WHO PR'OV DE SERVCES COULD SELL THER WARES FREELY FROM COPENHAGEN TO (RETE AND FROM BRMNGHAM TO BRNDS, THE CONSUMER, THROUGH THE MARKET PLACE, COULD DETERMNE WHCH WOULD PROSPER AND WHCH WOULD NOT, T WOULD THEN BE UP TO THOSE COMPANES WHCH FALED THS ACD TEST TO ADAPT THER PRACTfCES AND STRUCTURES OR GO UNDER, '. /MUCH STLL REMANS

5 MUCH STLL REMANS TO BE DONE. TARFFS HAVE LONG SNCE BEEN ABOLSHED N EUROPE BUT A MASS OF NON-TARFF BARRERS REMAN, AT THE ~OMMfSSON WE ESTMATE THE COST OF FRONTER FORMAliTES AlONE AS BENG OF THE ORDER OF 5-10%.OF THE PRE-TAX VALUE OF TRADED GOODS, THE TME WASTED AS A RESULT OF DELAYS REPRESENTS A LOSS OF ABOUT 500 MLLON PE~ YEAR, :... N FNANCAL SERVCES TOO PROGRESS HAS BEEN FAR TOO SLOW, So SLOW NDEED THAT N THE FELD OF NSURANCE THE CoMMSSON HAS LAUNC~ED PROCEEDNGS N THE EUROPEAN COURT AGANST SEVERAL MEMBER STATES N ORDER THAT THE RGHT TO PROVDE SERVCES ACROSS FRONTERS, WHCH WE DRECTLY FROM THE TREATY, CAN BE BELEVE FOlLOWS MPLEMENTED, ON AR FARES THE BRTSH AND DUTCH GOVERNMENTS HAVE GOT FED UP WTH WATJNG AND TAKEN MATTERS NTO THER OWN HANDS WTH THE NTRODUCTON OF CHEAP FARES ON A LMTED BAS.S BETWEEN london /AND AMSTERDAM - 5 -

6 AND AMSTERDAMf HOPE SUFFCENT NCREASED TRAFFC WLL BE GENERATED TO PERSUADE OTHER GOVERNMENTS TO FOLLOW SUT AND AM ENCOURAGED THAT BRTAN S NOW HOLDNG TALKS ON THS QUESTON WTH BELGUM AND GERMANY, BUT NETHER THE COURT NOR NDEPENDENT NTATVES BY NDVDUAL GOVERNMENTS S THE BEST WAY TO BRNG A REAL COMMON MARKET NTO BENG, THE RGHT WAY S BY MEANS OF AGREEMENTS REACHED THROUGH THE POLT CAL PROCESS AND APPLYNG EQUALLY TO ALL MEMBER STATES,.i THE TASK OF THE EUROPEAN NSTTUTONS S TWO-FOLD, ON THE ONE HAND THEY MUST WORK TO ENSURE THAT THE LEGAL AND TAXATON SYSTEMS OF THE MEMBER STATES ARE SUFFCENTLY TRANSPARENT, NON- DSCRMNATORY AND COMPATBLE WTH EACH OTHER TO ENSURE THAT. THE COMPETTON S FAR AND THE ADAPTATON POSSBLE, ON THE OTHER, THEY MUST WORK TO ELMNATE THE BAS N FAVOUR OF NATONAL SUPPLERS THAT STLL EXSTS N THE FELD OF PUBLC PROCUREMENT AND TO NTRODUCE COMMON STANDARDS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNTY, /PERSUADNG GOVERNMENTS - 6 -

7 . PERSUADNG GOVERNMENTS OF THE NEED TO MAKE THE MYRAD SPECFC CHANGES THAT WLL BE REQURED AND EVEN MORE, PERSUADNG THEM TO CARRY THOSE CHANGES NTO EFFECT WLL BE A MASSVE TASK, T WLL ALSO BE POLTCALLY DFFCULT, NOT TO SAY THANKLESS, SNCE N EVERY COUNTRY ANY DOMESTC SPECAL NTEREST THAT FEELS THREATENED WLL TRY TO ROUSE GOVERNMENT AND PUBLC OPNON.AGANST WHAT S BENG ATTEMPTED, PROGRESS WLL Nol BE MADE N THE SORT OF DRAMATC LEAPS AND BOUNDS THAT ATTRACT FAVOURABLE PUBLC TV BUT THROUGH THE UNDRAMATC PURSUT OF WHAT WLL OFTEN APPEAR TO BE BORNG AND RATHER MNOR SSUES, N MY VEW, TMETABLES WTH DEADLNES AND SPECFC OBJECTVES BACKED BY THE AUTHORTY OF THE EUROPEAN COUNCL HAVE AN ESSENTAL ROLE TO PLAY, '. BEFORE STTNG DOWN, J SHOULD LKE TO SUGGEST THREE AREAS ON WHCH YOU, N THE CB, SHOULD CONCENTRATE YOUR ATTENTON, AND WHERE SPECFC COMMUNTY ACTON S NEEDED, /BORDER FORMALTES _j

8 BORDER FORMALTES ARE THE FRST, THE NTERNAL MARKET COUNCL ON OcTOBER 9 AGREED A COMMON POST ON ON THE BAS C RULES FOR A SNGLE CUSTOMS DOCUMENT, FURTHER EFFORT SHOULD BE MADE TO REACH FNAL AGREEMENT BY THE END OF THE YEAR, SUCH A DOCUMENT WOULD BE A GREAT HELP TO ALL EXPORTERS, AND ATTENTON COULD THEN BE TURNED TO EVERYTHNG ELSE WHCH NEEDS TO BE DONE TO FACLTATE BORDER CROSSNG, STANDARDS ARE THE SECOND, THE PACKAGE OF FFTEEN DRECTVES ON SPECFC STANDARDS FOR CERTAN GOODS HAS NOW BEEN AGREED, BUT THAT S ONLY A START, MUST ENSURE THAT EVEN MEASURES AS LAUDABLE AS THE NEW GERMAN RULES ON VEHCLE EMSSONS DO NOT HAVE THE EFFECT OF CREATNG NEW BARRERS TO TRADE, N MY VEW ALL GOODS THAT CAN BE PLACED ON THE MARKET N ONE MEMBER STATE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ENTER THE MARKETS OF ALL THE OTHERS, THE CASSS DE DtJON CASE ESTABLSHED THAT PRNCPLE AS LONG AGO AS 1979, WE MUST MAKE T A REALTY, /SERVCES ARE THE 'i

9 SERVCES ARE THE TH.RD, THEY NOW EMPLOY 56% OF THE WORK FORCE N THE COMMUNTY AND ACCOUNT FOR ONE THRD OF EXTERNAL TRADE, A STUATON MUST BE CREATED N WHCH A SERVCE PROPERLY AUTHORtSED ' N ONE MEMBER STATE CAN BE. PROVDED N ALL THE OTHERS WTHOUT THE NEED TO CREATE A FReSH ESTABLSHMENT, Now LET ME LEAVE YOU WTH A FNAL THOUGHT, EUROPE. PROVDES BRTAN WTH GREATER OPPORTUNTES THAN THOSE THAT WOULD BE AVALABLE F WE STOOD ALONE 1 Bur THE EXTENT TO WHCH WE GRASP THOSE O~PORTUN 1 TES S UP TO US 1 T DEPENDS ON THE., QUALTY OF BRTSH MANAGEMENT, THE ADAPTABLTY OF BRTSH WORKERS AND THE POLCES OF THE BRTSH "' GOVERNMENT, WHETHER OR NOT WE MAKE THE MOST OF EUROPE DEPENDS FNALLY AND ABOVE ALL ON OURSELVES, - 9 -