A debate in the European Parliament's internal market and consumer protection committee (IMCO) saw a number of MEPs express doubt over the directive's implementation in EU member states, not merely in terms of timing but also concerning the methods used by individual countries.
Committee chair Malcolm Harbour MEP (ECR, UK) said that, based on what he had seen, "much more needs to be done by member states to ensure the directive will be implemented" by the end of the year, adding: "I would urge the other governments to get behind this directive and make a single market for services a reality."
"SMEs will be some of the key beneficiaries of the proposal," Harbour said, recalling that services account for about 70% of GDP but only 20% of cross-border trade in the EU. "The Services Directive will remove burdensome barriers and make accessing European markets much easier," Harbour stressed.
One MEP's office indicated that more than half the EU 27 will not meet the deadline.
A European Commission spokesperson said Brussels would not engage in any "naming and shaming" of member states until the deadline had expired but that the EU executive was nevertheless monitoring the situation closely.
Timing less important than method, say socialists
However, MEPs argued that while respecting the implementation deadline is important, the means by which member states implement it in practice is even more so.
There are widespread concerns among Socialist MEPs that centre-right governments are failing to implement the directive in a socially responsible way.
In France, Socialist MEPs argued that the transposition of the directive into national law does not sufficiently respect clauses on social and health services. IMCO vice-chair Bernadette Vergnaud MEP said that the Socialists had worked hard to have a number of social guarantees included in the text, but that these were being ignored by the French government.
In Sweden, likewise, socialists argued that the centre-right coalition government was using their "incorrect" interpretation of the directive as an excuse to remove existing laws obliging companies to have at least one member of their team act as a contact point for state bodies and trade unions.
A Commission representative told EurActiv that while the EU executive will allow member states a certain grace period for implementation if they are broadly on track, it is obliged to initiate procedures against countries that are not fulfilling their responsibilities.
