A campaign group claims that plans outlined recently by the European Commission “will boost corporate power.”
Campaigners allege that the Commission’s Single Market Strategy communication will “limit the democratic space that national and local authorities need to protect people and the environment.”
The Commission’s plans were launched in the context of what Brussels-based group, Corporate Europe Observatory, claims has been “an unprecedented deregulation wave, under the banner of pursuing competitiveness.”
CEO says,
“Since the start of the second VDL Commission this has led to a radical rollback of the EU’s corporate supply chain laws (via an Omnibus package), with laws on chemicals, digital rights, agriculture, and many other issues lined up for similar treatment.”
It goes on,
“The Commission’s Single Market Strategy is full of fingerprints from corporate lobbying campaigns.”
The CEO statement states,
“The communication includes a particularly worrying proposal for a so-called ‘28th Regime’, which would enable a to be defined range of companies to opt out of national labour law and instead operate under lower EU-wide standards.
“The Commission also announces a cross cutting Single Market omnibus and a wide range of other measures that are described as ‘simplification’ but have a clear deregulation agenda. The goal is to remove differences in national-level regulations that create ‘regulatory barriers’ to trade in the Single Market; many of these differences, however, are entirely legitimate rules that exist to address societal problems.”
Olivier Hoedeman, Corporate Europe Observatory coordinator, says,
“The new ‘Single Market Strategy’ will further limit the democratic space that governments need to protect people and the environment, giving industry far-reaching powers to veto and roll back national and municipal regulations. This is dangerous in times of growing social inequality, accelerating ecological crisis and deepening concerns about democracy.”
Further comment comes from Kenneth Haar, Corporate Europe Observatory researcher and campaigner, who stated,
“In the light of the radical deregulation mood in the Commission headquarters, strong guarantees to protect the public interest are needed to prevent Single Market single-mindedness from destroying crucial environmental measures and protect social rights.”
However, the commission has won strong support from elsewhere for the EU Startup and Scale-up Strategy.
Even so, SMEunited President Petri Salminen warned that Europe
“can no longer afford to see its most promising innovative companies scale up in the USA or Asia”.
His organisation represents SMEs at the pan-EU level.
He added,
“We welcome this new strategy, which rightly highlights the existing shortcomings. But its success will ultimately depend on real progress in strengthening the Single Market, improving regulation, and advancing the Capital Markets Union”.
SMEunited says it
Comments
9 responses to “Mixed Reactions to New EU Single Market Plans”
Seems like the EU’s new single market plans are just what we need to ensure that only the big boys have a say while the rest of us can enjoy the lovely view from the sidelines. 🤑
Looks like the EU’s idea of a “Single Market” is just a fancy way of saying, “let’s let corporations run wild while we pretend to care about democracy and the environment.” Brilliant, innit? 😏
Looks like the EU’s got a new plan to redefine “democracy” as a corporate playground—what’s next, a theme park for lobbyists? 🎢
Brilliant, just what we need—more corporate power dressed up as a “Single Market Strategy.” Who needs democracy when you can have a deregulated playground for the big boys, right? 😂
Oh, brilliant! Just what we need—a masterclass in how to let corporations run wild while democracy takes a backseat. 🚗💨 Let’s all hold hands and sing “Kumbaya” as we deregulate our way to a brighter future! 🙄
So, let me get this straight—Brussels wants to ‘simplify’ things by giving corporations a free pass to bypass local laws? Brilliant! Because who needs pesky regulations when you can just roll out the red carpet for the big boys, right? 🙄🏙️
Sounds like the EU’s latest market plans are just what we needed – a grand buffet of corporate power served on a plate of democratic breadcrumbs. Hope they don’t forget the side of environmental neglect while they’re at it! 😏🍽️
Typical EU, isn’t it? Just when you think they couldn’t possibly make it harder to breathe, they unveil a masterclass in corporate karaoke – let’s just sing along to the deregulation tune, shall we? 🎤💼
So, the EU is giving corporations a shiny new toy to play with while we all just sit back and sip our lattes, eh? Can’t wait to see how they “simplify” our rights next! 🍵😏
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