Referring to the Affiliation agreements that the EU is negotiating with plenty of international locations; New Europe requested if the European Fee envisions an rapid implementation of an unbiased authority to manage the utilities sectors in international locations the place non-public financial operators already function to ensure their rights and have a voice.
A European Fee spokesperson answered “The Fee is at present negotiating on an affiliation settlement between the EU and its Member States and Andorra, Monaco and San Marino on the small-sized international locations’ participation within the inside market and associated horizontal and flanking insurance policies in addition to presumably cooperation in different areas. This responds to the EU’s goal of creating a particular relationship with neighbouring international locations. The implementation of an unbiased authority to manage utilities sectors is among the many matters mentioned presently. The longer term Settlement should present for sustaining the nice functioning, the integrity and the homogeneity of the inner market in addition to authorized certainty whereas concurrently making an allowance for the specificities of every of the three companion international locations and their specific conditions. The participation of the three international locations within the EU inside market set out sooner or later Settlement ought to be based mostly, inter alia, on mutual and shared values, the indivisibility of the 4 freedoms of the inner market and associated horizontal and flanking insurance policies, and the institution of a degree enjoying discipline. This entails that entry to sectors of the EU’s inside market should make sure the take-over, implementation and enforcement of the EU acquis within the three international locations. The Fee, along with the nationwide competent authorities, straight enforces EU competitors guidelines, together with in relation to sectoral monopolies, ensuring that every one corporations compete equally and pretty on the Inside Market. This advantages residents, companies and the Inside Market as a complete. This requires the event of supervisory parts regardless of the small measurement of our companions’ markets”
On June 30th then EU Fee Vice-President Šefčovič made some remarks on the roadmap paving the way in which in the direction of an Affiliation Settlement with Andorra, Monaco and San Marino, he stated :“This future Affiliation Settlement could possibly be amongst essentially the most far-reaching supplied by the EU to exterior companions. The roadmap displays the political ambition of the Fee, shared with the Council, to conclude negotiations on the longer term affiliation settlement by the top of 2023.To realize this goal, the roadmap incorporates an bold programme, together with some country-specific concerns, and a timeline for the following 18 months. Our clear overarching goal is to additional strengthen our relationship, together with by means of integration into the EU’s Single Market with its 4 freedoms.