While the single market has brought tremendous benefits for European citizens and businesses, the free movement of goods, services, capital, and people hasn’t always operated smoothly. In some areas for instance, there is no truly integrated European market as missing legislation, administrative obstacles, and a lack of enforcement leaves the full potential of the single market unexploited. Confidence in the single market also needs boosting to help stimulate economic growth. Europe must act with more force and conviction to show that the single market brings social progress and can be beneficial for consumers, workers and small enterprises. For this reason, the European Commission adopted the Single Market Act – a series of measures to boost the European economy and create jobs.
Single Market Act I
The Single Market Act presented by the Commission in April 2011 set out 12 levers to boost growth and strengthen confidence in the economy. Later, the Commission presented a report outlining the progress made in implementing the Single Market Act.
- Communication from the Commission: Single Market Act - Twelve levers to boost growth and strengthen confidence
- Communication from the Commission: Delivering the Single Market Act: State of Play (66 kB)
Public consultation
- Commission Staff Working Paper - Overview of responses to the public consultation
- Summary of the public consultation (37 kB)
- Statistical charts of the public consultation (739 kB)
- Communication from the Commission: Towards a Single Market Act - for a highly competitive social market economy
Related documents
- Booklet - The Single Market Act - Together for new growth
- Competitiveness Council: Conclusions on the Single Market Act (122 kB), 10 December 2010
- Competitiveness Council: Conclusions on priorities for relaunching the Single Market (118 kB), 30 May 2011
- Report by Professor M. Monti to the President of the European Commission: A New Strategy for the Single Market (441 kB), 9 May 2010
Single Market Act II
In October 2012, the Commission proposed a second set of actions to further develop the single market and exploit its untapped potential as an engine for growth.
- Communication from the Commission: Single Market Act II - Together for new growth
Related documents
- Table of key actions (443 kB)
- Citizens' summary (18 kB)