British businesses will have more opportunities to sell services across the Europe when the EU Services Directive comes into effect on 29 December. A Conference organised by BIP Solutions in cooperation with SITPRO, the Department for Business (BIS) and Clifford Chance on 7 October 2009 was an important opportunity for business and public authorities to take stock of what these new rules meant for them.
Attendees heard a distinguished panel of speakers including Maria Martin-Prat, Head of Unit, Directorate General Internal Market and Services at the European Commission, explain the importance of the service sector within the European economy and what the Services Directive means for business. Tina Sommer from the Federation of Small Businesses went on to provide a case study based on her own experience as to where the Directive would make life easier for her and the opportunities that it opened up while Oliver Bretz and Nelson Jung from Clifford Chance gave a legal overview.
Finally, John Alty Director General Fair Markets Group in BIS gave a government overview of the wider issues of liberalisation in cross-border delivery of services, noting in particular that while making it easier for UK service suppliers to do business in the rest of Europe, the same was true for European service suppliers looking to do business in the UK.
Norman Rose Chairman of SITPRO and Conference Chair said, "The European Commission and BIS must monitor the implementation of the Services Directive to ensure that Member States are fully compliant with the Directive as soon as possible after the due date."Notes to Editors
SITPRO, the UK's Trade Facilitation Agency, was established in 1970 to simplify international trade and much of its work has focussed upon improving the procedures at ports and borders, looking at issues such as improving the arrangements for inspecting goods at the border and streamlining the submission of data to government.
SITPRO is a non-departmental public body funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and undertakes policy work at national, European and international levels.
For further information visit SITPRO's website at http://www.sitpro.org.uk/.
SITPRO News Release - 9 October 2009
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