The EU's top market regulator urged members of the European Parliament today not to make major changes to a fragile compromise deal on opening up the bloc's market in services to cross-border competition.
EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy was speaking hours before German socialist deputy Evelyne Gebhardt was to announce her proposals for 11 amendments to a bill on opening up the European Union services market.
'It would strike me as very dangerous and naive, on the broad, big issues, to start upsetting that very fragile compromise arrived at in the European Parliament and got through the Council of Ministers,' McCreevy said.
The European Parliament and member states have joint say on the rules, and the assembly's first-reading version formed the basis for the political deal among member states.
McCreevy said some that 'small little items and some changes' may be possible. 'But it would not be very politic to put at risk, in the major issues, what has been achieved,' he added.
The assembly's biggest party, the centre-right EPP group, and the liberals do not want changes. Without their backing, it will be difficult for the socialists to push through amendments.
The British government has said the rules, as adopted at first reading, could inject €30 billion a year into the bloc's economic activity and create 600,000 jobs.
Britain and several new member states were disappointed the rules were diluted after hard campaigning from France and other older EU members that feared competition would be unfettered.
The new rules will make it easier for providers of services as diverse as catering, software and plumbing to ply their trade across the bloc. Gebhardt has said the amendments are technical in nature.
