British MEP Malcolm Harbour explains how the Internal Market Committee's report debated Tuesday seeks to cut through red tape and make moving across borders a valid option for consumers and citizens.

Time to reboot the single market

Mr Harbour, has the internal market   ran out of steam?

No. It has fantastic potential   to move further

and help EU citizens,   consumers and businesses.

It's time for Member States to make   further efforts to reboot the single market,

to make it move forward and actually   achieve those gains that are there.

Where do you see the single market   fitting into the regrowth strategy?

It has to be an absolutely   fundamental flagship project.

The EU 2020 strategy has several new   flagship projects being defined,

but rebooting the single market is not   among them much to our disappointment.

Our report asked that the Commission   should make a single market act

which will pull together new initiatives at   Member State and Commission level,

to move the single market forward.   It doesn't need many new rules.

It needs proper implementation   of rules and more information.

Member States should be more energetic   in selling the benefits to their citizens,

and ensuring people have access   to those opportunities.

But in a recession, aren't people   frightened of looking for jobs abroad,

and looking for customers and suppliers?   It's difficult and life's tough enough?

For citizens they were keen to have those   opportunities made easier for them.

Our report states that we have   to make the single market work

The mobile citizen,   taking their skills across borders

That's what the Services Directive   was all about.

Businesses are looking more fervently   for opportunities outside Europe.

The one area where we can open up   markets for business

is in public markets, public procurement   as one of the single market foundations,

Seen as a bureaucratic imposition,   it has fantastic potential.