The EU Commission is proposing a new, dedicated €4 billion programme for the next long-term EU budget 2021-2027 to empower and protect consumers and enable Europe’s many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take full advantage of a well-functioning Single Market.
The new programme will strengthen the governance of the EU’s internal market. It will support businesses’ – and in particular SMEs’ – competitiveness and will promote human, animal and plant health and animal welfare, as well as establish the framework for financing European statistics.
Commissioner for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Elżbieta Bieńkowska said, “The Single Market is the beating heart of the EU. In the 25 years of its existence it has brought enormous benefits to EU citizens and businesses. For the Single Market to stay fit for purpose, we need to look after it properly. Today we are proposing a new programme to further increase the positive impact on Europeans”.
Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Věra Jourová added, “We need to ensure that consumers are able to benefit from their rights. This means providing them with practical advice on consumer issues and removing dangerous products from the market. This is what the new Single Market Programme will achieve. For the first time, we will also fund collective redress procedures, as we announced in the New Deal for Consumers.”
The new Single Market Programme will support: Consumer protection and empowerment, Competitiveness of businesses, in particular SMEs, A high level of human, animal and plant health, Effective enforcement and first class standards, Fair competition in the digital age, High quality European statistics
An agreement on the next long-term budget in 2019 would provide for a seamless transition between the current long-term budget (2014-2020) and the new one and would ensure predictability and continuity of activities to the benefit of all.