S1.5 Why the EU should have a dedicated Commissioner for Implementation and Enforcement

Why the EU should have a dedicated Commissioner for Implementation and EnforcementBy Ursula PachlDespite a 30-year-old Single Market, enforcement remains a key EU weakness, with national authorities largely in charge of implementing EU laws, with very few – and often scattered – EU competencies. EU laws that give people rights and ensure that businesses can trade freely and fairly across borders cannot be effective unless they are respected and enforced where necessary. When enforcement is weak, the credibility of institutions and the rules they implement plummets.How can the EU be a role model and ‘rule’ the world (to quote Anu Bradford) if its laws do not actually deliver? This isn’t a new problem, of course. At least since the Volkswagen emissions scandal broke in September 2015, there is mounting evidence that enforcement mechanisms are often lax and insufficient when facing Europe-wide issues. This is in stark contrast to the US, which although it doesn’t have the same forecast-based controls as the EU, it does have a much more prominent litigation apparatus (e.g. with class action lawsuits and other mechanisms that strengthen deterrence).This is why the next European Commission should include a dedicated Commissioner for Implementation and Enforcement.Watch more here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.