EU not doing enough to unblock cross-border services

The European Commission is not doing enough to remove internal EU barriers to cross-border services, a major source of economic growth for the 27-country European Union, the European Court of Auditors said on Wednesday.



Services account for around 70% of the EU's gross domestic product, but only 20% of them are provided across borders because of big differences in authorisation and certification requirements for service companies between countries.



The ECA, an independent external auditing institution of the EU, said 60% of all the obstacles to cross-border services identified in 2002 were still there in 2023, showing their removal had not been a priority.



"Businesses in the EU continue to face an uphill struggle in providing services in a cross-border capacity," said Hans Lindblad, the ECA member leading the audit. "The Commission’s efforts to do away with barriers are still insufficient."