The Single Market

27 November 2013.
Part of our Britain & Europe Series.

The Single Market & liberalisation, harmonisation and mutual recognition: Time to rethink the balance of competences between the EU and the member states?

Speakers:

• Professor Kenneth Armstrong, University of Cambridge
• Professor Kalypso Nicolaidis, University of Oxford
• Professor Stephen Weatherill, University of Oxford

• Chaired by Dr Ioannis Lianos, Reader in Economics & Competition Law, UCL

The establishment of a (single) internal market has been a major ambition and one of the most important achievements of the project of European integration. The interplay of the principles of market liberalisation, harmonization and mutual recognition, has been an essential feature of the European Internal Market law and policy.

The recent financial and economic crisis may have tested some of the achievements of the European integration project although this has not yet led to a resurgence of the protectionist policies of the past. The economic and social crisis that followed raises questions over the costs and benefits for each jurisdiction of the Single Market, in particular because of the important trade imbalances between Member States of the EU, some of which enjoy a significant trade surplus, while others record trade deficits.

The panel will delve into these governance aspects of the Single Market project and their underlying politics. It will also discuss the findings and proposals of the recent Single Market Report - Review of the Balance of Competences, released in July 2013 by the British Government, which examines the balance of competences between the European Union and the United Kingdom in the area of the Single Market and explores the impact of the Single Market on the UK national interest.

About the Series Britain & Europe

The relationship between Britain and Europe is a highly contested issue that dominates political and academic debates. The UCL 'Britain and Europe' seminar series examines the relationship between the United Kingdom, and both the European Union and the Council of Europe. The aim of the series is to discuss important policy issues, with a special focus on their legal dimension. Topics to be addressed include the EU referendum, immigration, human rights, competition policy and taxation.

The series is convened by Prof Piet Eeckhout and Dr Virginia Mantouvalou (UCL Laws).

This series is in association with UCL Laws and the UCL Institute for Human Rights.