POOR TRANSPOSITION SCORES

EU Member States persistently fail to transpose Internal Market rules. The transposition deficit has even significantly worsened and now stands at 3.6%. This is a long way from the 1.5% interim target set by successive European Councils. In November 2004, the transposition deficit for the EU-15 countries was 2.9%, a significant rise from the 2.2% registered in June 2004. The increase to 3.6% is due to enlargement, although the new Member States have made great notification efforts. Member States' failure is not only a breach of their legal obligations, it also deprives businesses and citizens of their rights and undermines the day-to-day working of the Internal Market.