Basis of Services Directive reform flawed, civil society complains to Commission

An open letter to European Commissioner Bieńkowska by Corporate Europe Observatory and Copenhagen City Councillor Ulrik Kohl has just been mailed. On behalf of 12 organisations, including both civil society groups and political parties involved in running major European cities (Amsterdam, Barcelona and Grenoble), the letter expresses strong concerns about flaws in the European Commission’s preparation of the Services Notification Procedure Directive, currently in trilogue negotiations.

The Commission’s failure to balance stakeholder input has led to a draft which is biased in favour of corporate interests and puts local democracy on the line. In addition, the Commission violated its own transparency requirements for public consultations throughout the process - and has still not published any of the stakeholder feedback it received.