Take EU Commission reform recommendations seriously

Following the release today by the European Commission of its 2016 country-specific reform recommendations, BUSINESSEUROPE Director General Markus J. Beyrer commented: "In recent years our members have indicated that whilst the Commission has generally made the right reform recommendations, the problem has been a lack of implementation by EU member states. Whilst we need to look at today's country-specific recommendations in more detail, we urge governments to take the Commission's advice seriously and use it to increase reform impetus. In particular, where the Commission has granted member states more time to reach fiscal targets, we urge them to use this wisely, looking in particular at the scope to increase the efficiency of public expenditure and reduce tax burdens."

BUSINESSEUROPE's 2016 Reform Barometer showed that our members consider that 88% of the 2015 county-specific reform recommendations (CSRs) focused on the right issues for reform in EU member states. But members indicated that only 20% of the 2015 CSRs assessed have been satisfactorily implemented.