62 posts
"The Contribution of Public Services to Social Progress" by Wouter Van Dooren
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Watch Wouter Van Dooren of the University of Antwerp discuss how to measure the contribution of public services and what impact they have on social progress. This talk was recorded at the conference ‘From (un)economic growth to future well-bei...
VIDEO: California Voters To Address Prostitution
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In November, California voters will have an opportunity to decide whether to stiffen criminal penalties for pimps and provide more resources for prostitutes. Proposition 35 is known as the CASE Act: Californians Against Sexual Exploitation. It's part...
UK services pop (out early)
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It was a PMI surprise, with UK service sector data appearing from Markit Group just before the close of trading in London on Tuesday.It shouldn’t have happened. The original...
Sex worker union organising: an important new book
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An Agency of their Own: sex worker union organising by Professor Gregor Gall of the University of Hartfordshire. The term ‘sex workers’ is a generic one covering all those who sell sexual services and comprises prostitutes, exotic dancers, porn a...
Spain: ‘I Won't Pay' Campaign Hits Catalonia Highways
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A wave of protests against rising tolls on Spanish highways reached its five-month mark last week, when a clash between motorists and private authorities motivated a company that oversees more than 6,713 kilometers of European motorways, to put up ba...
Time for a real Single Market? Case EU Services Directive
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How does the harmonisation of internal market rules work? The groundwork for the EU Services Directive was laid in a 2000 strategy paper, but in 2012 the Commission is still bogged down by the lack of full and correct transposition in the member stat...
EU Services Directive: obstacles to freedom to provide cross-border services
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The quest to implement the EU Services Directive did not end on transposition date, 28 December 2009, but continues to play out between the European Commission and the national administrations, as well as among the member state governments. The rec...
EU Services Directive: obstacles to freedom of establishment
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The 1957 EEC Treaty (Treaty of Rome) established the 'common market' aim, but the European Union in 2012 still struggles with making the internal market a living reality, especially with regard to the free movement of services and persons, let alone...
Making the EU Services Directive work 3/3
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Part one presented and commented on the complexity of the Services Directive in the study written by Manuel Dierickx Visschers and part two dealt with the Flemish Services Impact Test (SIT). The report was published by the Eurofoundation New Direct...
Making the EU Services Directive work 2/3
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The first blog post presented and commented on the complexity of the Services Directive in the study written by Manuel Dierickx Visschers. The report was published by the Eurofoundation New Direction and it is downloadable here: Serving Europe – Ma...
Making the EU Services Directive work 1/3
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The loss of international competitiveness and the lack of growth are problems at the bottom of the current economic and financial crisis in Europe. A more seamlessly functioning services sector is a crucial ingredient of turning the tables, even if...
Palveludirektiivi: kielletyt vaatimukset
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Suomelle ja muille EU-jäsenille osoitetut talous- ja kasvupolitiikkaa koskevat maakohtaiset suositukset sekä vastaavanlaiset linjaukset euroalueelle kokonaisuutena julkaistiin hiljattain Euroopan unionin virallisessa lehdessä: EUVL 24.7.2012 C 219...
Consumers may remain passive while obtaining information about right of withdrawal - CJEU case C-49/11 (Content Services)
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5 July 2012: the CJEU's case C-49/11 (Content Services) The CJEU decided today that Article 5 of the Distance Selling Directive (97/7/EC) does not allow for service providers and sellers to convey information about, inter alia, a right of withdraw...
Suomen sähköiset yrityspalvelut EU:n keskikastissa (Yritys-Suomi)
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EU:n palveludirektiivin edellyttämät keskitetyt asiointipisteet (Points of Single Contact, PSCs) on arvioitu komission toimesta. Euroopan komissio nosti kärkeen seuraavat maat: Tanska, Viro, Espanja, Luxemburg, Alankomaat, Ruotsi, Iso-Britannia...
Tillväxt genom att röja handelshinder på den inre marknaden
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I går repeterade jag kort på engelska EU kommissionens meddelanden COM(2012) 259 om bättre styrning av den inre marknaden och COM(2012) 261 om genomförandet av tjänstedirektivet. Meddelandet om tjänstedirektivet åtföljdes av tre arbetsdokum...
EU performance checks: construction, business services and tourism
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How well does the internal market function in these important service areas: construction, business services and tourism? After promised (by Herman Van Rompuy) and delivered (by the European Parliament and ECOFIN) assessments of Single Market Act (...
Tjänstedirektivet: Kommissionen vill stoppa diskrimineringen av konsumenter
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Enligt tjänstedirektivet får EU-länderna och företagen inte diskriminera konsumenter på grund av deras nationalitet eller bosättningsort. I praktiken behandlas de presumtiva kunderna fortfarande ofta olika när de vill handla över landsgränse...
Kuluttajien syrjinnän lopettaminen EU:n sisämarkkinoilla
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Jotta EU:n suurin voimavara ei jäisi lähes täydelliseen pimentoon jatkan sisämarkkinoiden tarkastelua. Sisämarkkinoiden kehittäminen Kesäkuussa komissio julkaisi kaksi tiedonantoa, jotka viitoittavat tietä: Sisämarkkinoiden hallinnoinn...
EU Services Directive: Priorities and action
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Among the sectors covered by the Services Directive, the European Commission has chosen four priority areas. The Commission has addressed a ”to-do” list to the EU member states. Services Directive scope The blog post Scope of EU Services Dire...
Scope of EU Services Directive
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The blog entry Importance and growth potential: EU Services Directive told us that the services covered by the directive account for 45% of EU GDP, while services as a whole represent more than 65% of EU GDP and employment. Let us get these differe...
Importance and growth potential: EU Services Directive
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The economic weight and growth potential of the Services Directive merit enhanced attention from businesses, public administrations and citizens in the European Union (indeed the European Economic Area EEA). Improving the Single Market In Better...
EU Services Directive needs correct implementation
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As we saw in Better governance for the EU Single Market, the Commission promised to focus on the energy sector as a key enabler and on the economic sectors offering the best hope of growth and jobs, namely: • Services (including retail and wholes...
Mer tillväxt genom tjänstedirektivet
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Efter konkurrenskraftsrådets slutsatser om den digitala inre marknaden och styrningen av den inre marknaden publicerade EU-kommissionen ett meddelande om bättre styrning (blogginlägg på finska, svenska, engelska, finska), tillgängligt på 22 spr...
Prostitution Gets a Red Card From the European Parliament
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A campaign aimed at cracking down on the sexual exploitation of women at sporting events has just been launched in the European Parliament. I was one of 20 MEPs who participated in the launch of this campaign organised by the European … Contin...
European Commission Work Programme 2012: Internal market and services
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For some reason Eur-Lex stubbornly renders the headline of the bibliographic notice in Danish, although the rest of the text is in English. Anyway, the Commission work programme 2012, available in 22 official EU languages, is a suitable read when we...
Improper implementation of the Services Directive
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While the European institutions are busy preparing new sales' regulations (Consumer Rights Directive and Common European Sales Law), services seemed to be a bit forgotten. This is surprising taking into account that consumers conclude many contracts...
EU free movement of persons and services: Have qualifications, will travel?
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The EU Commission has published a report on how things turn out in practice for mobile professionals: Internal Market: Commission publishes reports on how Professional Qualifications Directive works in practice (22 October 2010, press release IP/10/1...
Fair food prices: new legislation needed, say MEPs
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The bargaining positions of all players in the human food chain must be rebalanced, and fair competition enforced by law, to ensure fair returns to farmers and price transparency to consumers, says Parliament in a resolution voted on Tuesday.
European Parliament debates regulating Football Players’ Agents
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As we all watch the World Cup, we should reflect that Europe is lucky that some of the most talented sports men and women come from all over the world to compete here. Unsurprisingly, the increased internationalisation of sport of over the last few y...
Updated Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) published
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We return to an old friend we have followed here on Grahnlaw. A codified (updated and readable) version of the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union, in the official languages of...
Discrimination frustrates free movement in the EU
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The free movement of people has been an aim since the 1957 EEC Treaty. Discrimination on grounds of nationality has been prohibited for as long. Directive 2004/38 on the right of the citizens of the (European) Union and their family members to move a...
History of EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive (Following a legislative procedure)
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Believe it or not; it is just like Dinner for One. The Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS Directive) 2007/65 covers audiovisual services (including on-demand services) in the digital age. The AVMS Directive renamed and amended the Television...
EU Services Directive: Transposition (Sweden and Finland)
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The member states of the European Union have had three years to turn the EU’s Services Directive 2006/123 into national law. But with the transposition period drawing to a close in a few days, on 27 December 2009, a majority of the countries have s...
How Realistic Is The ‘Good Society’ Project?
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It is important to be honest about the very real conflicts that exist between ethical values and the practical realities of power. Any project that envisages changing Europe through a combination of gradualist methods and revolutionary objectives con...
Belgian train strike
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I left for vacation Thursday 2 weeks ago. The National Railway Company of Belgium held a strike that same day. My seven-hour train ride became a 2 hour bus ride followed by an hour-long train to Paris and an overnight sleeper train to the South of Fr...
PES challenges the Liberals - but what does the single market mean for public services?
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The PES was kind enough to e-mail me a copy of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen’s open letter to the European Liberals (whose campaign launched today) where Rasmussen calls into question the Liberals’ statement that “The single market should be rei...
Sweden: EU Services Directive
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The Swedish Government has published a hefty memorandum (consultation paper) on the EU Services Directive, officially Directive 2006/123/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on services in the internal market, OJ 27.12...
Quality of public services = quality of life
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Quality employment and quality public services and not “market obligations” should be the driving principles for the European Union in order to foster social inclusion, equality and solidarity. The European Federation of Public Service...
