EU internal market rules better implemented by member states

European Union (EU) internal market rules were better implemented by member states into national law, the European Commission said on Wednesday.
On average only 1.0 percent of EU internal market directives for which the implementation deadline has passed are not currently written into national law, down from 1.2 percent in December 2007, which was the best record.
This means that EU member states are already in line with the new 1.0 percent target agreed by EU leaders, which is to be achieved by 2009 at the latest.
"I am delighted that member states have reached the new 1.0 percent target well ahead of the deadline," said EU Internal Market and Services Commissioner Charlie McCreevy.
According to the commission's internal market scoreboard, 18 member states were either at or below the new target, while Bulgaria was the first country to fully implement all the rules, and ten member states achieved their best result so far.
Another 15 member states have managed to reduce the number of infringement proceedings against them for failure to implement EU rules.
But the commission said the overall number of infringement proceedings remained relatively high and it took too long to resolve them.
The European Commission is empowered to take member states to EU court if they do not implement internal market rules before the deadline.
Source:Xinhua