Strengthening the single European market
We see a general tendency towards a well-functioning single European market in a number of harmonised areas, not least agriculture and food.
The single European market is possibly the EU’s greatest success ever, with free movement having generated growth and prosperity for the citizens of the EU. The idea behind the single European market and harmonisation is to create a level playing field where businesses compete according to the same rules and requirements regardless of the country in which they operate. However, the economic crisis has given rise to a tendency for member states to attempt discriminating against foreign competitors via special national schemes by securing more relaxed terms for their own businesses. We see a general tendency towards a well-functioning single European market in a number of harmonised areas, not least agriculture and food. Some member states try to secure competitive advantages for its domestic businesses via incomplete implementation of, for instance, common environmental requirements. The implementation of the Water Framework Directive serves as a good example of that.
The European food policy increasingly supports national preferences where unclear compromises pave the way for national interpretations and where specific authority for special national rules is granted.
Specific examples are the EU’s general labelling rules and the EU Quality Package where focus is on the origin of food and which therefore leans in the direction of increased “nationalisation”. This trend is to the detriment of the future competitiveness of Europe, the ability of innovative thinking and the creation of prosperity. This will ultimately harm the common European. Hence, the single European market needs to be strengthened to restore the European growth engine.
- Denmark and the European Commission must aim at ensuring that the member states actually implement, harmonise and enforce EU directives in national legislation. Rules and the terms of competition must be the same regardless of whether a business is located in Portugal, Romania or Denmark.
- The single European market must be optimised through dismantling of barriers, reduction of bureaucracy, simplification and maximum free competition.
- Common rules, administration and strict control over competition law and rules on state subsidies must be ensured in general to avoid national initiatives that distort competition.
- The Danish Agriculture & Food Council supports the European Commission in its intention to coordinate the rules on indirect taxes applicable in the EU to eliminate any form of indirect tax treatment which is unfavourable to cross-border activities.
- The Common Agricultural Policy aims at ensuring that the single European market for food is not undermined or distorted by state subsidies, other national special schemes such as inter professional organisations authorised to prevent the free movement of goods in the single European market.
- Food regulation must help solve the challenges facing businesses in a global context. So international rules and standards adopted under the auspices of Codex Alimentarius, for instance, must be incorporated into EU law as far as possible.
- The Danish Agriculture & Food Council calls for a voluntary and market driven food policy that promotes competition, innovation, nutrition and food safety. So we do not support a compulsory scheme of origin for food as such a scheme could be used as a measure to distort competition.
- The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) must help ensure a scientific platform for regulating the food area. The existing rules on the application of nutrition and health claims must be directly applicable for businesses.
- Equal access needs to be established to using new biotechnological tools, including GMO in food production. Compulsory, national rules on co-existence should be laid down as a means to ensuring equal development opportunities for organic, conventional and GM crops.