Simpler legislation for the internal market is not just desirable; it can become a reality, even in the short term. That is the conclusion drawn from the first phase of the SLIM project, in which a working method was devised that brought together experts from national administrations, users of the legislation and the European Commission in an attempt to identify specific measures for simplifying legislation in four areas: the Intrastat system of statistics for intra-Community trade, construction products, the recognition of diplomas and ornamental plants. In its report to the Council of Minister and to Parliament the Commission describes the exercise as a positive one but adds that the success of the entire operation will depend on the extent to which the Council will be willing to review current legislation and adopt the changes the Commission is about to propose on the basis of concrete suggestions put forward by the SLIM teams. Emphasizing that overregulation at national level is a major obstacle to the completion of the Single Market, the Commission calls on Member States to simplify their legislation. "The work we have undertaken as part of the SLIM project," said Mr Monti, "is encouraging. The results of the first phase have been fruitful, confirm the validity of the method used and could well justify extending the project to other areas. For its part, the Commission will vigorously pursue the aim of simplifying and improving legislation, but invites the Council to commit itself fully to the same task. Clearly, the success of the venture will depend on the ability to accept change towards simpler legislation. We look forward to the Council meeting on the internal market scheduled for 26 November putting out a strong clear signal in favour of what is an effective means of promoting competitiveness among firms: simplification." The SLIM project was proposed by the Commission on 8 May following growing calls from firms and industry for legislation that was effective but did not impose unnecessary constraints. The Council endorsed the project in its Resolution of 8 July on legislative and administrative simplification in the field of the internal market, and the Commission was asked by the European Council to report before the end of the year. Summary of the results of the pilot project The SLIM project is based on a new working method: small teams of experts in the fields concerned scrutinize current legislation and draw up options for simplification. The Commission then indicates how it intends to proceed in order to implement the recommendations made. 1. Intrastat Intrastat is a system for the compilation of statistics on intra-Community trade since the abolition of checks at internal borders in 1993. It is costly, both for firms and for administrations, and the statistics, which take a long time to produce, are not of sufficient quality. Proposals for simplification are aimed at: . reducing data requirements to the strict minimum . using a simplified goods nomenclature . adjusting the collection system in such a way as to reduce the burdens on business . supporting measures designed to modernize the system. The Commission is in favour of a simplified nomenclature, limited to 7 000 commodity codes (instead of the present 10,500), which would be operational from 1 January 1998 onwards. It is in particular willing to adapt the legislation in a way that enables Member States to introduce the single-flow system if they wish to do so. 2. Construction products All construction products are governed by a single Directive (89/106/EEC of 21 december 1988) which requires adoption of technical specifications, be they harmonized standards, European technical approvals or recognized technical specifications. The fact that, eight years after the adoption of the Directive, those standards have not been adopted shows that, in this field, the Single Market has yet to become a reality. The Commission will support measures that follow the SLIM team's guidelines: in the short term, it will endeavour to improve the working procedures of the European standardization bodies; in the longer term, its aim will be to introduce a complete and coherent system for the construction sector as a whole and re-examine the Directive with a view to aligning it with the principles of the "New Approach" and to put an end to the binding link between the implementation of the Directive and the existence of harmonized standards. 3. Recognition of diplomas A total of seven sectoral directives relating to doctors, nurses, veterinary surgeons, dental practitioners, midwives, architects and pharmacists and adopted between 1975 and 1985 are aimed at creating a "European profile" for education. Contrary to the systems that, since then, have followed a "horizontal approach", this system requires constant scrutiny of common rules by advisory committees and, consequently, adjustment of national standards. In 1997 the Commission will put forward proposals to streamline the working of the advisory committees and to simplify the updating of lists of diplomas eligible for automatic recognition. It will also examine whether it would be advisable to transfer the professions concerned to the general system following the review of that system which is due in 1999. 4. Ornamental plants The Community rules on the marketing of ornamental plants are contained in a Directive that lays down minimum quality standards and conditions and specifies supporting accreditation procedures and the keeping of written records. Transposal into national law has given rise to numerous inconsistencies and problems of interpretation. Rapid and uniform implementation of the Directive has not proved possible, despite the publication of an interpretative note by the Commission . Opinion among the members of the SLIM working team was divided on whether Community legislation was actually needed in this field. The Commission will, by May 1997, come forward with proposals to clarify the Directive and reduce the burdens on business. It will also look into whether the Directive should be repealed. ****
