GED @ … EU Services Market Conference

The European Single Market is unique in the modern world of trade. With its 28 member states and an internal GDP of nearly 18 billion USD it represents the single biggest free trading zone in the world, ahead of both the US and China. But while the market has yielded large economic profits for its member states since its implementation in 1993 it has yet to achieve its full economic potential. In many sectors a patchwork rug of different national regulations still exists among the EU-States, hindering free cross-border trade. The economically biggest of these sectors is the European market for services, which alone accounts for roughly 70% of EU-GDP.

To discuss the possibilities and challenges of tapping into this market’s vast potential for Europe, the Bertelsmann Stiftung, together with the European Commission organised a conference on the topic in Brussels on July 2nd.

Over the course of the day there will be a number of panel discussions on various topics and questions that come with the EU services market and we will hear opinions and discussions from prominent expert voices such as the EU Commissioner for the Internal Market Elżbieta Bieńkowska and professor for economics from Harvard University Philippe Aghion.

It will be a day of animated debate and hopefully some real perspectives for the way forward at the end. For those who can’t be there personally, the GED team will also follow the event live on its twitter channel so make sure to follow us there for first-hand information and updates as soon as they unfold.