Introduction

• Author: Petropoulos, Georgios; Marcus, J. Scott; Yeung, Timothy
• Pages: 16-22

Contributio n to Growth : European Digital Single Market: Deliverin g economic benefi ts to citizens and busin esses

PE 631.044 16

1. INTRODUCTION

Numerous legislative measures have been initiated or enacted in support of the Commission’s Digital

Single Mar ket Strategy (European Commission, 2015a). This rep ort pr ovides a s tock-t aking of what has

been achieved in economic terms, of what remains to be done, and of opportunit ies for the coming

legislative term.

The study (IP/A/IMCO/IC/2018-012) has b ee n undertaken for Poli cy Dep artment A of the Europ ean

Parliament, on behalf of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO). Preliminary

results were presented at the IMCO Workshop on 10 July 2018.

1.1. Objectives

The study “C ontri buti on of the Inte rnal Market and Consum er Protec tion to Growth” (hereinafter

Alleweldt at al. (2014)) was prepared for the IMCO Committee in 2014. That study called for an

ambi tious revision of Europe an policy ob jective s in order to more full y realise the p otenti al of the

Inter nal Marke t as a growth e ngine and an anti -crisis mechanism. The current European Com mission

followed this path by means of a ne w set of st rate gies , inc ludin g the DSM Strate gy for Europe 2 and A

Singl e Mark et St rate gy.3

The IMCO Committee has requested a workshop and an update of the 2014 study. The update is

comprised of a series of in-depth analyses. This study, which focuses on the Digital Single Market, is

one component of that series.

The aims of the current update are (1) to p rovide background informati on and advice for the

Members of the IMCO Committee on benefits brought in the past and to be realised in the

foreseeable future for EU businesses and citizens by legislation established in the field of Internal

Market and Consumer Prote ction, and (2) to re flect on priority measures and actions that could be

undertak en in this fiel d going for ward.

1.2. Background

The Digit al S ingle Ma rket ( DSM) Strategy was intended to tackle a wide range of issues related to the

digitisation of European society. A key over-ar ching theme is the facilitation of cross-border electronic

commer ce wi thin the EU. The DSM sought to do this with a barrage of l egi slative measures, eac h

aimed at addressing one or more of the barriers to cross-border e-commerce that have been

identified by e-merchants or consumers (and evidenced in surveys).

The DSM Strategy is broadly in line with numerous initiatives undertaken by the Parliament

over the years. For the Parliament, the “… Digital Single Market is essentially about removing

national barriers to transactions that take place online. It builds on the concept of the

common market, intended to eliminate trade barriers between Member States with the aim of

increasing economic prosperity …

2 European Commission (2015a), Digital Single Market Strategy, COM(2015) 192 final.

3 European Commission (2015d), Single Market Strategy, COM(2015) 550 final.