Single Market Program

4.21 billion

Reference program in the field of economics (business, SMEs, statistics and others)

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DG / Responsible Agencies: GROW | COMP | SANTE | EISMEA | HADEA

Potential beneficiaries

Individuals, entrepreneurs and businesses, organizations of entrepreneurs and consumers, statistical institutes, standardization organizations, authorities in the agribusiness sector, specific networks (e.g., Enterprise Europe Network), etc.

Description and objectives

A well-functioning single market is at the heart of the European project. It is critical to Europe’s recovery from the Covid-19 crisis and to actualizing the major strategic goals of the green and digital transition through their application at the level of European industrial ecosystems. The program brings together 6 previous initiatives, with activities that share common goals of regulating, facilitating and protecting activities and actors operating in (and for) the internal market. In very broad terms, the Single Market Program aims to:

• Promote a well-functioning single market for goods and services (with appropriate legislation, especially in the areas of finance and consumer protection);
• Provide high-quality statistics on all EU policies;
• Coordinate capacity building for joint actions between the Commission and member states.

Types of actions and projects

The program funds a wide range of actions:

• Data collection and analysis;
• Studies and evaluations;
• Capacity building and facilitation of joint actions between institutions in the EU;
• Mechanisms that enable individuals, consumers and business representatives to contribute to decision-making processes;
• Exchange and dissemination of skills and knowledge.

Through these actions, the program aims to promote:

• improved competitiveness of enterprises, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises;
• Increased consumer protection (including in the financial sphere);
• A high level of food safety (protecting human, animal and plant health);
• Better governance and surveillance of the single market;
• The production and dissemination of quality European statistics;
• The development of European standards for goods and services (including in finance).

In the specific area of SME support, the Single Market Program aims to:

• Facilitate access to markets;
• Promote entrepreneurship and the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills;
• Promote industry modernization and address global and social challenges.

These SME support objectives are pursued through the following instruments:

• the Enterprise Europe Network, which will provide an integrated package of advice to SMEs on how to innovate and grow internationally;
• A network of SME representatives to promote the development of SME-friendly policies and regulations at national and EU levels;
• An Erasmus for young entrepreneurs;
• Joint cluster initiatives-a new type of action that promotes close collaboration between industry clusters (groups of specialized companies, often SMEs) and other supporting actors operating in the same area;
• Other actions in line with program objectives and the European SME strategy.

Highlights

The Single Market Program brings together six previous initiatives, pertaining to various thematic areas:

• COSME;
• Consumer Protection Program;
• Program for the protection of users of financial services;
• Specific activities in finance, accounting, and auditing;
• Food safety protection activities;
• European Statistics Program.

This integrated configuration is expected to provide a more flexible and agile funding framework, take advantage of lessons learned from previous experiences, activate synergies, prevent duplication and fragmentation, and cover all thematic areas more effectively.