EU priorities
Top priorities in Brussels
Single Market Act
The Single Market Act has been adopted by the European Commission on 27 October 2010. It consists of 50 policy proposals that were submitted to public debate for a four month period running up to 28 February 2011. Following this, the Commission will propose to seal the commitment of the other Institutions on a final version of the Single Market Act.
Since 1992, the Single Market has brought tremendous benefits and created new opportunities. But free movement of goods, services, capital and people does not always happen smoothly. There is no truly integrated European market in some fields. Pieces of legislation are missing. And administrative obstacles and lacking enforcement leave the full potential of the Single Market unexploited.
Confidence in the Single Market also needs a strong boost to help stimulate economic growth. Europe needs to 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.
Read our response to the consultation.
The European Year of Volunteering 2011
The European Year of Volunteering 2011 (EYV 2011) has been promoting the voluntary sector to citizens and policymakers across Europe since the beginning of the year. This is an exciting opportunity for volunteer involving organisations across the EU to join together in a celebration of volunteering, and start a discussion on the importance of volunteering on a local, national and international level.
The EU will use the Year to work towards four main objectives:
- To create an enabling and facilitating environment for volunteering in the EU.
- To empower volunteer organisations and improve the quality of volunteering.
- To reward and recognise volunteering activities.
- To raise awareness of the value and importance of volunteering.
Who will benefit and how?
- The European Year of Volunteering 2011 will enable volunteers all over Europe to meet and learn about best practices in each European country.
- Public authorities, volunteer organisations and businesses will learn more about volunteering and how to make it easier for people to contribute
- People who have never heard about volunteering will learn to appreciate what volunteers do and might become volunteers themselves one day.
In England, EYV 2011 is being administered by Volunteering England and the Office for Civil Society to help deliver the EU objectives nationally, through a series of toolkits, events and workshops on volunteering.
Find out more on Volunteering England's website.
European Citizen’s Initiative
The Lisbon Treaty in 2009 introduced a new mechanism to enable better public participation in EU law-making, called the European Citizen’s Initiative (ECI).
The ECI will allow one million citizens from at least one quarter of the EU Member States to invite the European Commission to bring forward proposals for legal acts in areas where the Commission has the power to do so. The organisers of a citizens' initiative, a citizens' committee composed of at least 7 EU citizens who are resident in at least seven different Member States, will have one year to collect the necessary statements of support. The number of statements of support has to be certified by the competent authorities in the Member States. The Commission will then have 3three months to examine the initiative and decide how to act on it.
In April 2011, the regulation for the European Citizens‘ Initiative entered into force and will be applicable in one year. This means that starting on 1 April 2012, citizens’ initiative committees can register an ECI with the European Commission and start collecting signatures.
Visit the EU Commission’s website for more information about ECI.
