Commission: Single Market and Services Directive Small and medium-sized enterprises tell the EU "that there are still obstacles to how they operate in the European Single Market". The Commission and Member States must thus "work hand in hand to improve the way Single Market rules are implemented, applied and enforced". Economic growth "is at the top of our agenda and we should not miss a single opportunity to promote it". On June 8 Internal Market and Services Commissioner Michel Barnier presented "a course of action to ensure that Single Market rules work better in practice". The Executive is also proposing measures "to improve the way the services sector works", which is "vital" as the Services Directive adopted in 2006 accounts for more than 45% of EU GDP. The strategy proposed by the Commission to the other Community institutions, namely Parliament and Council, includes, notably, a Communication on "better single market governance" proposing to "focus efforts on sectors with the largest growth potential". In 2012-2013, the sectors identified are services and network industries". In these areas "the Commission calls on Member States to commit to zero tolerance for late and incorrect transposition of Directives, and for its part it will provide enhanced transposition assistance in order to smooth out potential problems". In case of infringements, procedures should take no more than 18 months on average (currently 25.5 months) and Member States should comply with Court rulings within 12 months". The second communication provides concrete indications for the implementation of the Services Directive.Protecting and stepping up of the rights of children in the EU "It is Europe’s duty to ensure allocation of EU funding for social investment". The claim was addressed in the workshop promoted by non-profit organizations for the rights of the child, titled "What Europe could do". "As known, Member States ratified the Europe 2020 Strategy, which is set to lift at least 20 million people out of poverty, but it’s important that the Council promotes EU Commission proposals to allocate part of EU funding to social inclusion and invest on children’s rights, making them visible within European budget", said Michela Costa from Eurochild, a network of organizations whose goals include deinstitutionalized residential assistance centres for children without parental care. "Many Countries have adopted measures to dismantle national social assistance systems, but much more still needs to be done said the Director of Programmes Hope and Homes for Children Delia Pop, like creating a network of support services for parents to ensure that a child’s separation from the family is the last resource". Contrary to common beliefs, the great majority of institutionalised children are not orphans; often they are temporarily abandoned by parents in difficult situations. "Rather than investing in structures, it is necessary to provide support to families and children, especially if disabled, so that the best solution may be found for their wellbeing, and for this we rely on the contribution of European Institutions", Delia Pop concluded.Support to humanitarian aid despite economic downturn 88% of EU citizens, nine percent more since the last survey in 2010, "believe it is important for the European Union to continue funding humanitarian aid". Almost as many, 84%, support maintaining humanitarian aid funding "in spite of the current economic crisis and pressures on public finances". A few days ago Eurobarometer released the findings of a survey on humanitarian aid. The real surprise, according to the polling experts, is that the EU public still supports EU humanitarian aid "in spite of hardship at home". "Even in times of hardship, the EU public still supports us in helping people around the world who through no fault of their own find themselves in dire need and that support has strengthened over the last two years", said Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. Another survey on civil protection shows that an increasing number of EU citizens are concerned about natural and man-made disasters. "75 per cent said they were concerned about man-made disasters such as oil spills and nuclear accidents. Floods and earthquakes came next with 67 per cent", states the release. 64 per cent said they were "most concerned about terrorist attacks and 59 per cent were concerned about armed conflicts".
