Analysis: “The Services Directive – Moving towards a consensus”

In a policy paper published by the Robert Schuman Foundation, Marie-Dominique Garabiol-Furet (Executive Civil Servant, PhD in Law) argues that the services directive keeps the risks of social dumping to a minimum.

In a policy paper entitled ‘The Services Directive: Moving towards a consensus’, Marie-Dominique Garabiol-Furet argues that “the services directive is part of the continuation of community policy” and that, for this matter, “has undoubtedly created no form of debate in EU15”. 

The author notes that, although the directive’s field of application “apparently covers an extremely wide range of activities”, it excludes in reality “the most emblematic services in the eyes of the citizens”. She says this is because “specific directives [already] apply to them or because Member States insist on maintaining their prerogatives in the matter”. 

On the “country of origin principle,” she believes that the danger of ‘social dumping’ appears to be minimal”. “A better control in the application of the country of origin principle – a detailed demarcation of the duration of its application with a guarantee of national social norms by legislative measures – should simply counter a danger such as this,” she says. 

Please click here to read the full text in French or in English