History of the EU Single Market

History of the EU Single Market In this paper I intend to look at the two communications presented by the European Commission, to the European Parliament, the European Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. These two communications, Single Market Act I Single Market Act II, both talk about proposals that if implemented, should make the Single Market of the European Union much better by eliminating any obstacles which were found in the systems at the time of writing. To understand better the Single Market, one should look at the history of this on-going process and then, take a look at what the Commission proposed through these two communications. This should lead to a better understanding of how these proposed set of actions would strengthen the EUs internal market. History of the EU Single Market Moving freely within the European Union (EU) today seems to be a very common activity and very often it is taken for granted. Looking back in time and seeking the beginning of this concept, one can better understand why this was necessary and important for the EU, what were the steps needed and what it took to achieve this goal. It is important to mark the landmark political decisions and historical facts that brought us to live this dream, which is also considered as one of the EUs greatest achievements. The need of a common market has been long discussed from 1957, since the Treaty of Rome which created the European Community. The main objective of this proposal was to give Europe a new push, to take integration to an upper level and to have free movement of goods, services, capital and persons, therefore a common market. Of course, this was a vital step since one cannot build a common Europe without having a common market. These four fundamental freedoms were the basis of the real European Economic Community (EEC). This common market became a reality with the removal of barriers and internal borders within the European Union. Although on 1st July 1968 the customs duties on goods going around in the EU member states were completely removed, there remained non-tariff barriers like differences in the requirements of safety and packaging of different member states or between national administrative procedures. Consequently, these barriers did not allow the manufacturers to market the same goods in different European countries.  [1]  After this step, it took until 1985 for the leaders to decide to come back to the realisation of this single market. The single market was a response for a long-standing crisis in the EEC especially created in the 1970s; the things that mostly effected the economy were the oil crisis of 1973 1979 (which caused a lot of inflation with rising prices and which therefore created unemployment), the rapid advancements in technology, t he changes occurring in the economy world and also the emergence of new strong competitors such as Japan and newly industrialising countries from South East Asia.  [2]  The European Commission led by Jacques Delors, in 1985 presented a common response to that of the leaders themselves. The Community decided to complete the construction of the great internal market in stages which was to be finalised at the start of 1993, and therefore, the ambitious date and goal were written into the Single European Act signed in February 1986. This led to the gradual removal of internal barriers and borders within the European Community, national standards were getting harmonised, and rules determining the way governments should buy services and goods were created. There was also the liberalisation of financial institutions, the Value Added Tax (VAT) rates were being set to a standard level and there was also the setting of European business laws. All these measures were taken to create the si ngle market.  [3]  Until 1992, the national regulations of the 12 member states were replaced by one rule which was common to all of them and regulated all the countries in the same manner after the EU adopted nearly 280 pieces of legislation. The monetary union was also planned and the Maastricht Treaty was the first step of the creation of the Euro, which came into use on 1st January 2002. After all these steps and hard work towards this dream, on 1 January 1993 the physical borders between EU countries vanished completely and the European Single Market was officially a reality for the member states of the EU.  [4]   12 levers of the EU Single Market After all the work done to create the Single Market of the EU, there were still some things which were not functioning as they were meant to be and according to their original purpose of creation. Although one of the main benefits of the Single Market was that of bringing economic growth in the member states of the EU as was predicted and argued in the Cecchini Report  [5]  , it has been proven by many studies and statistics that this mission was not fully accomplished and the targets were not fully reached. The faults present in this system were addressed both by the Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and the Maltese MEP Louis Grech in their reports A New Strategy for the Single Market Delivering a single market to consumers and citizens, respectively. Taken from the original Cecchini Report Therefore, the only thing that could help to get the expected results was to refine the policies and develop a proactive and cross-cutting strategy  [6]  to give the single market the opportunity to develop its full potential  [7]  . This was done through the Single Market Act I which was presented on 13th April 2011. In this communication, the Commission expressed its proposals which should help to eliminate any obstacles which are not allowing full movement of services, innovation and creativity across the member states. The Single Market Act and the actions which were proposed in this communication are aimed at giving all the citizens and businesses of the EU the ability to have full access and full beneficial that can come out of this Internal Market and strengthen their confidence in this system. All in all, the end result should be a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth  [8]  and also the creation of more jobs for the citizens. This was all presented in the so ca lled Twelve levers which the Commission has come up with. Each one of them is aimed at strengthening the Single Market in different ways. Here are some of the most important levers. Levers related to free movement of capital The first lever talks about the Access to finance for SMEs since the world has gone through financial crises, businesses in the EU have become more restricted and limited and cannot get the loans they need from the banks to advance in their industry by manufacturing innovative products and market them. Through a change in legislation, this lever proposes to make funds more accessible to SMEs so they can invest more and provide a better, smarter, innovative and more advanced technology. This should also be an incentive for SMEs to operate across borders and raise capital abroad.  [9]   Levers Related to free movement of persons The second lever which is about Mobility for citizens, talks about creating a European professional card that will make mobility for workers across the EU easier while building a better level of trust and cooperation between different countries of the EU. Another proposal was the creation of the European skills passport which is a record of the skills possessed by a person who can travel across the EU and find different jobs. This way, the citizens can always have a proof of their skills.  [10]   Another lever aimed at facilitating the free movement of persons is the seventh lever proposed which talks about The digital single market. This lever proposes that there should be a mutual electronic identification and authentication throughout the EU. This will be beneficial not only for people moving from one country to another, but also to businesses and public authorities, therefore it can also help in increasing the effectiveness of public services and procurement, service provision and electronic commerce (including the cross-border dimension). Levers Related to free movement of goods services The fifth lever talking about Services highlights the importance of standardisation as a tool used in the free movement of goods. This tools importance is growing bigger also in the services sector. This will help in improving cross-border services mainly between businesses and combat unfairness, by developing a more effective, efficient and inclusive system.  [11]  This system will work to see that standards are adopted quickly and adapted to new technologies. This will enable SMEs other similar groups to become more involved while standards remain available to everyone.  [12]   Levers Related to Law Enforcement Strengthening the EU Single Market Concluding Remarks

Discuss the way in which Sheila changes throughout the play Essay

Discuss the way in which Sheila changes throughout the play The Birlings are a middle Edwardian class family. The play is set in 1912, in the house of the Birling family in the North Midlands. At that time a woman's role was considered inferior to the men's as it was always presumed that the man was the head of the house. Women were also not thought of as being able to take part in serious conversations, and that they needed to be protected. At the beginning of the play, Sheila is described as young, attractive, girly and naà ¯ve. Also she has just become engaged. This is made known through the stage directions and how she reacts to certain situations. At the start of the play, Sheila shows her character by being very girly in her contributions to the conversation. As the stage directions say 'Sheila is still admiring her ring' and not listening to her father's speech. This shows that she is self-centred and is enjoying the attention that the engagement is bringing her. Also she refers to her parents as "Mummy" and "Daddy" at the beginning of the play, emphasizing her dependency on her family. The arrival of the Inspector seems to be the beginning of the change in Sheila. When Sheila says 'except for all last summer, when you never came near me'. She does not question Gerald further on the subject though she knew where he was. She does not question him further about it because the earlier, girly side of Sheila's character would not be able to cope with the truth. Though she knows that he has not been 'awfully busy at the works', where he said he has been, but having an affair. When Sheila first finds out about the girl's suicide she is genuinely upset and shows her sensitive side in her reaction, 'I... ...nd of the play she is unable to accept her parents attitude and is both amazed and concerned that they haven't learned anything from the events of the evening as she sarcastically says 'So nothing really happened. So there's nothing to be sorry for, nothing to learn. We can all go on behaving just as we did.' By this she means that she does not really understand how she could have learnt more in a few hours than her parents have in their lifetime. In the play, Priestley is trying to show that there is a change in the younger generation. He portrays this by the characters of Sheila and Eric taking responsibility for their part in the death of Eva Smith and the fact that her parents haven't learned anything from the events of that night. He is trying to show that people should take responsibility and care for each other, as in the idea of a big community.

Online Reservation System

an online booking system is â€Å"used to store and retrieve information about tour product, tour product options or lodging facility and conduct transactions for booking it. † That's a fancy way to say that an online reservation system will let you accept bookings for your services online. There are three main reasons why you should at the very least consider putting an online booking system in place: #1 It puts you a step ahead of your competition. There's a multitude of tour and activity operators out there who have a website and enlist on Google Places, but very few already have an online booking system in place.By having an online reservation system, you're one step ahead of the game, tipping the scales in your favour when prospects research and compare your capabilities against your competitors. Of course, the presence of an online booking system itself is not enough to make or break the sale. You still need to make sure the other aspects of your site (like imagery, for example) are in the best shape to minimise the amount of visitors that bounce off it. #2 It's convenient and fast – for you and your customers.Location is not an issue, and neither is time. The virtual set-up means you won't need to wake up at unholy hours to take booking calls from potential clients halfway around the world. While you dream of being the best damn tour or activity operator there is, people are going through the process of finding your site, browsing through its content, and making a booking. Travellers veer towards tour and activity sites that support online bookings because not only is it easy, but they usually find some great discount deals, too.They can read up on your business, look at your options, and finally make a booking without being hassled by a pushy sales representative. #3 It speeds up your cash flow. The old barrier in the way of online payment systems was trust, but this is no longer an issue. The risk of credit card fraud or scam is extremely low for online payment gateways. The online booking system you choose should have an â€Å"SSL certificate† on its payment page to ensure users that you are legitimate.Online reservation systems speed up your cash flow just by being there. There's less capital outlay on your end because you don't have to hire staff to manage customers or pay rent for a physical space. Also, once customers book through it, money goes straight into your account – no lag time here. They're also more accurate than you probably are when it comes to mathematical calculations. You can set up coupon codes and discount offers without triple-checking whether you got the maths right. â€Å"according to Wikipedia†

Civil Liberties and Civil Rights - 722 Words

Civil Liberties and Civil Rights The expansion and development on specific civil liberties and rights since the birth of America can be seen as one of the biggest evolutions in the Constitution. The original Constitution and Bill of Rights did not convey anything about equality aside from that all Americans are entitled to due process in court. The word â€Å"equality† for instance does not even appear in the Constitution. Thus the topic of equality and civil rights is a grey area that is not clearly defined or understood. Prior to the Civil War, the inequality of African Americans and women for example were easily apparent. African Americans lived as slaves and had no rights at all and were claimed by some in court cases that the Founders believed that blacks had no rights that the government had to honor. While women also suffered many inequalities such as not having the right to vote and some states went so far as to deny them right to own property or submit contracts. The exclusion of civil rights allowed for interpretation and the implementation of unequal policies throughout the states. The foundation for civil rights began being passed by Congress following the Civil War allowing for many constitutional amendments being made. Even with Civil War amendments, court cases were ruled that attempted to undermine amendments and allowed for segregation to continue. This discrimination created many disadvantages for minority groups that have been attempted to be fixed onlyShow MoreRelatedCivil Liberties And Civil Rights1081 Words   |  5 Pages1 McGahey 3 Megan McGahey Sherry Sharifian GOVT 2305 71430 20 September 2017 Civil Liberties vs. Civil Rights In the U.S. most use the terms Civil Liberties and Civil Rights interchangeably; although they both protect the freedom of citizens they do this in different ways. 2 Civil Liberties are limitations placed on the government. These are things the government is restricted to do, by the constitution. Things that could interfere with personal freedom. 3 For example, the 1st amendment says thatRead MoreCivil Liberties And Civil Rights1083 Words   |  5 Pages2017 1 Civil Liberties vs. Civil Rights 2 Civil Liberties are basic rights and freedoms that we are guaranteed by the government. You can find them in the Bill of Rights and in the Constitution. Civil liberties are liberties that we as Americans feel safe to interpret on the daily basis. 3 Some civil liberties include, the right 4 for free speech, the right to privacy, the right to remain silent in a police interrogation, the right to be free from unreasonable searches of your home, the right to aRead MoreCivil Rights And Civil Liberties1025 Words   |  5 PagesProfessor Sharifian Government 2305 September 28th, 2017. 1 Civil rights vs Civil liberties 1. 2 Define Civil Liberties; then define Civil Rights. How are they similar? How do they differ? Which civil sequence has more influence on your life as you know it to be now? Why do you believe this to be so? Civil rights and civil of liberties have regularly been the discussion of different locales throughout the years. In the achievement of social liberties and freedoms, laws and statutory arrangements have mustRead MoreCivil Liberties Vs Civil Rights1134 Words   |  5 Pages2017 SLO 1 Civil Liberties vs Civil Rights Democracy in simple sense is understood as rule of people. As said by Abraham Lincoln,† democracy is government of the people, by the people, for the people†. In democracy all the power is seized by the people but, still we find many cases in different parts of the world that the political leaders and government officials and their families having more rights and power as compared to regular people. The violation of civil liberty and civil rights by the governmentRead MoreCivil Liberties And Civil Rights1149 Words   |  5 PagesWhat Role Does Our Civil Liberty and Rights Play In Our Government System? 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Out of these changes, civil rights and civil liberties have erupted in order to protect the lives of citizens even more. Who we are as citizens of the United States can be characterized by the concept of civil rights and civil liberties, the idea that the constitution protects the major rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights, marginalized groups, the secondRead MoreCivil Liberties And The Civil Rights 902 Words   |  4 Pagescountry. This is where our civil sequences: Liberties and Rights, keep our country intact. 1 Both Civil Liberties and Rights are granted and defined in the Constitution. We must continue enforcing our civil sequences to maintain order for ourselves, our states, our government, and our nation. Civil Liberties focus on our basic freedoms as Americans and Civil Rights are concerned with rights regarding the treatment of an individual. 2 Definitely a Civil Liberty is ‘the basic right to be free from unequalRead MoreCivil Liberties And Civil Rights960 Words   |  4 Pagesvoting are very important aspects of shaping the government. Without certain civil rights being granted by the government, these important rights of expression and suffrage would not exist. There is a difference between civil liberties and civil rights in relation to the government. Civil liberties refer to an individual’s unalienable freedoms that cannot be taken away by political intervention. On the other hand, civil rights are provided by the government in order to promote equality. This ideology