Enforcement in the Eu Single Market

by Pelkmans, Jacques; De Brito, Anabela Correia; Harbour, Malcolm

• ISBN13: 9789461382252
• ISBN10: 9461382251
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-04-08
• Publisher: Centre for European Policy Studies

Summary

Enforcement of, and compliance with, laws and regulations in the single market of the European Union are of crucial economic importance for business, consumers, and the EU economy at large. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the current EU enforcement landscape. The traditional method of regulation enforcement, trying cases of infringement in the Court of Justice of the European Union, remains critical as a last resort, but it is increasingly seen as being very slow and costly. The authors reveal that EU law enforcement now relies heavily on a range of preventive initiatives to keep technical issues from developing into infringement problems. These measures tend to be quicker, far less costly, less formal, and highly effective in maintaining a properly functioning internal market. While these improvements are welcome news for the single market, the authors caution that EU enforcement still has thorny problems to resolve in areas such as public procurement.