EU DIRECTIVE ON SERVICES

Early day motion 492, tabled 4 July 2005 by Kelvin Hopkins (Labour). Signed by 41 members.

That this House notes that the proposed EU Directive on Services in the internal market is due for first reading in the European Parliament in the autumn; considers that by treating the whole services sector in the same way, this Directive is a threat to public services, and that by over-riding national regulations regarded as barriers to trade, the Directive will weaken protection for workers, users and the wider public; believes that the country of origin principle will undermine standards in employment law, quality assurance, public health and environmental protection across the EU; therefore calls for the current proposed Directive to be withdrawn, for any future Directive on the services sector to give a blanket exemption for all public services, for all employment law including collective bargaining agreements to be excluded, for the country of origin principle not to be included in such a Directive; and urges the European Parliament to reject the Directive if these safeguards are not forthcoming.

Signatures by party: Labour 38, Liberal Democrat 1, Plaid Cymru 1, Respect 1.