German confectionery industry calls for ‘significant strengthening of the European single market’

It recommends:

1.Revitalising and strengthening the internal market concept in European legislation

2.Consistent action by the EU Commission against national unilateral actions that threaten to restrict the free movement of goods and, in particular, the marketing of products from other Member States

3.Restoring a good balance between the free movement of goods and national consumer and health protection, in line with the key case law of the European Court of Justice

EU expansion

Just over 20 years ago, the European Union was enlarged to include 10 Central and Eastern European countries - a decisive step towards European unity and prosperity in Europe.

The BDSI recognises that this has not only benefited the German confectionery industry, which has since invested in Eastern Europe and expanded cross-border trade, but also that producers in Eastern Europe have also found and continue to find new markets in the European Union thanks to a harmonised legal framework.

However, claims the BDSI, there has been “a worrying trend” in recent years with the single market becoming increasingly fragmented by inconsistent national laws under the guise of consumer protection.

Free movement

It says that this fragmentation threatens the very essence of the European idea - the free movement of goods and the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises in the economic development of other Member States.

"On the 20th anniversary of the EU's eastward expansion and shortly before the European elections, we are at a turning point. It is high time to take action against the erosion of the internal market and to strengthen the uniform legal framework," says Dr Carsten Bernoth, Managing Director of BDSI.

"Whereas in the past the main focus was on language barriers, there are now a large number of different national regulations - for example, with regard to requirements for declarations or packaging.”