20.1.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC14/39
OpinionontheCommissionCommunication entitled:'TowardsaSingleMarketinDistri­
bution—InternalTradeintheCommunity,theCommercialSector,andtheCompletionof
theInternalMarket'
(92/C14/15)
On16April1991theCommissiondecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned Communication .
TheSectionforIndustry,Commerce,CraftsandServices,whichwasresponsibleforpreparing
theCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon9October1991.TheRapporteur
wasMrPauloAndrade.
Atits290thplenarysession(meetingof31October1991),theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionunanimously .
1.5.Morespecifically,theCommissiondocument
referstothefollowingaspectsoftheworkprogramme.
1.6.Workingmethods
1.6.1.Here,theprinciplethattheworkprogramme
shouldbedrawnuponthebasisofconsultationand
dialoguehasbeenadopted.TheCommissionrec­
ommendsthateconomicoperatorsbeconsultedand
permanentdialogueestablishedwithtradefederations,
tradeunionsandconsumergroups.1.Summaryofthemainideas
1.1.TheaimoftheCommunication istopresentthe
broadlinesoftheworkprogrammetobelaunchedby
theCommunity .However,consciousofthefactthat
verylittleworkhasbeendonetoanalyzethestateof
theEuropeandistributionsector,theCommissionhas
devotedtheintroductorypartoftheCommunication
toabriefoverviewofthissector.
1.2.Fourpointsmadethereinshouldbehighlighted :
—circumstances varyconsiderablywithintheCom­
munity,asthecommercialstructuresofMember
Statesdifferwidely,
—inthepastfewdecadestherehavebeenfar-reaching
changesinthissector—averitablestructuralrevol­
ution,
—commerce'sbasicroleintheeconomyhasaltered,
shiftingtothecoreoftheverychangestakingplace;
commerceisnolongera'passive'element,butis
becomingavitalcomponentoftheeconomicpro­
cessandakeyelementinprovidingmomentumfor
theEuropeaninternalmarket,
—thelevelofinternationalization inthedistribution
sectorislow;themajorityoffirms,eventhelarge
Europeancommercialcompanies,conductmostof
theirbusinesswithinasingleMemberState.Trad­
ingfirmslaunchinginternationalinitiativeshave
metwithahighrateoffailure.
1.3.TheCommissionthensetsoutananalysisof
theworkprogramme,notonlylistingspecificlegal
stepstobetakenandtheCommunitypoliciesdesigned
toremoveobstaclestothesinglemarketindistribution,
butalsogivingparticularemphasistostudiesdesigned
toraiseawarenessoftheroledistributionplaysinthe
Europeaneconomy,inparticulartheinternationaliza­
tionprocessassociatedwithcompletionoftheinternal
market.
1.4.TheCommission worksonthebasisthatthe
Community'sdirectinterventionrolewillalwayshave
tobesubsidiary;providingfirmswithinformation
shouldbeaprioritymatterandcoercivemeasures
shouldbelimitedtosafeguardsagainsttheinter­
nationalization processbeinginhibitedbytheregulat­
oryenvironment .1.7.Understanding commercialactivity
1.7.1.Statisticalinformation
1.7.1.1.TheCommissionrecognizesthatitis
extremelydifficulttoobtainanaccuratepictureofthe
sectorbecausestatisticsarescarceandnotnecessarily
reliable(asdemonstrated bythedisparateandout-of­
dateinformationintheAppendixtotheCommuni­
cation).
1.7.1.2.Particularreferenceismadetothefactthat
differentcountrieshaveinmanycasesadopteddifferent
conceptsandclassificationswhichmeanthatcompara­
tivestudiesarenotworkable.Onemajorlimitationis
thatstatisticsarecompiledonthebasisofseparate
productsectors;thismeansitisneitherpossibleto
identifythedifferentdistributionnetworksthrough
whichgoodspass,nortodiscovertheroledistribution
playsintheindustrialsector.
1.7.1.3.TheCommissiondocumentstatesthatapro­
grammeofmeasuresforcompilingstatisticsonthe
serviceisalreadyunderway.
1.7.2.Thelegalandregulatoryframe­
work
1.7.2.1.Aconsultancyfirmwascontractedtopre­
pareadatabasetocoverthisarea.Theresultsweredue
tobepublishedinthefirsthalfof1991.

NoC14/40 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 20.1.92
1.7.3.Structuraldevelopment ofdistri­
bution
1.7.3.1.TheCommissionCommunication proposes
astudyprogrammetocoverthefollowingtopics:
—thechangingroleofthewholesaletrade,withpar­
ticularemphasisonthedistributionofinter-indus­
trygoods,
—theimpactofnewtechnologyoncommerce,par­
ticularlymanagement practicesandmethods,
relationsbetweendistributorsandproducersand
thedevelopmentofanewinternationalmarketin
distance-selling ,
—thenatureandroleof'associatedtrade'(franchis­
ing,buyinggroupsandvoluntarychains).
1.7.4.Raisingawarenessamongstcom­
mercialfirms
1.7.4.1.ItisimportantfortheCommissiontotake
stepstoensurethatfirmsareawareofa)thenew
environmentinwhichtheywillbeconductingbusiness
andb)thesector'sinternationaldimension.TheCom­
missionhighlightstheroletobeplayedherebythe
Euro-Info-Centres .
1.8.ThelegalframeworkfordistributionatCom­
munitylevel
1.8.1.Inkeepingwiththedecisiontoavoidexcessive
regulation,theCommissionstressesthatanylegislation
adoptedshouldbesolelyforthepurposesofimproving
conditionsgoverningaccesstotheEuropeanmarket.
1.8.2.Anapproachbasedondialogueandconsul­
tationshouldincludepreferenceforasystemofself­
regulation(codesofgoodconductandpractice).
1.8.3.Twoaspects,however,deserveparticular
mention :
—theregulatoryframeworkforco-operationbetween
firms,
—rulesapplyingtonewformsofdistributionwithout
frontiers(distance-selling ).
1.9.Communitypoliciesforeconomiccohesionand
development
1.9.1.TheCommunication focusesonthreeareas:
—vocationaltraining,
—structuralfunds,
—technologicalinnovationprogrammes .
1.9.2.ReferencesaremadetonewCommunitypro­
grammesandactionswhichcouldbeofbenefittothe
commercialsector.Theideaistotakefulladvantageof
existingprogrammesandmeasuresandnottointroduce
newonesatthislevel.2.Generalcomments
2.1.TheCommitteewouldliketobeginbycongratu­
latingtheCommissiononthequalityoftheCommuni­
cationproducedinresponsetotheCouncil'sfullywar­
ranteddecision,recognizingthatthereportwouldfill
amajorgapinviewoftherolethatthedistribution
sectoristoplayincompletionoftheinternalmarket.
Unfortunately ,studiescarriedouttodatearefewand
farbetween,unco-ordinated ,andoffernodefinitive
conclusions .
2.2.TheCommitteeisalsopleasedthat,whendraft­
ingthereport,theCommissiontookcaretolisten
totheviewsofthepartiesconcerned,interaliathe
CommitteeforCommerceandDistribution (CCD).
2.3.TheCommitteehopesthattheCommunication
willnotturnouttobeameretheoreticalexercise.On
thecontrary,ithopesthat,inthefuture,DGXXIIIwill
beprovidedwiththehumanandfinancialresources
neededtocarryoutthemeasuresproposedtherein.
2.4.Overandabovetheprogrammeitself,theCom­
municationmapsoutasector-oriented approach.We
shouldliketohighlightfiveoftheideascontained
therein:
—Moreinvolvement istoberecommended forecon­
omicoperators,tradefederations,tradeunionsand
consumerbodiesindefiningpolicies.
—Thecommercialsectorhasbeenreinforcingits
matrixpositionvis-a-vistheincreasinglyimportant
regulatoryrolethemarketplaysintheeconomy;
thishasledtomoreinterdependency betweensec­
torsandpointstoaneedforpredominantly horizon­
talperspectivesandpolicies.Tothesameend,there
shouldbemorelinksbetweenthesectorandcurrent
Communitypolicies.
—Commerceanddistributionclearlylagbehindother
economicsectorsinmovestowardsCommunity
integration;structuraldifferenceswithinthesector
implythatmorecommitment isneededtopro­
grammesandmeasuresgearedtocommercialsmall
andmedium-sizedenterprises (SME).
—Specialeffortsshouldbemadetoprovidebetter
informationandimproveunderstanding ofthesec­
tor,particularlybyimprovingstatisticalcompi­
lationtechniques .
—Thereisaneedtoencourageco-operationbetween
firmsandthustoclarifytheirlegalposition.
2.5.Assessingthedocumentasawhole,theCom­
mitteeshouldnevertheless liketodrawattentionto
someweaknesseswhichitrecommends shouldbe
amendedaccordingly .Theyconcernthefollowing
points:
—Thewholesaleandretailsub-sectorsshouldbe
accordedequalimportance;thisisunfortunately
notthecaseintheCommunication .Intheretail

20.1.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC14/41
anddistributionsectorpolicyfromthebudgetforgen­
eralSMEpolicy,particularlyasanoverwhelming
majorityoffirmsinthissectorareSME.
3.Specificcomments
Setoutbelowareanumberofideasonessentialaspects
whichtheCommitteebelieveswillclarifyandimprove
theproposedprogramme .
3.1.Socialconsequencesofchangesinthesector
3.1.1.Thefactthatnoforecasthasbeenmadeof
thesocialrepercussionsofchangestobeeffectedinthe
commercialsectoronworkersandsmallbusinessmen
isanomissionthatshouldberectifiedbyanalyzingthe
impactofnewtypesofcommerceona)employment
andb)requirementsrelatingtoprofessionalqualifi­
cations.
3.1.2.Commission measuresmusttakeaccountof
tradefederationandtradeunionviewsonthesematters;
studyprogrammesshouldbecarriedouttoassessthe
socialacceptabilityofnewworkingmethods.businesswhereSMEpredominate ,theroleofthe
wholesaler,generallyspeaking,continuestobe
indispensable ,andthewholesaler'sprivilegedlinks
withinternationalcommercemakehimamajor
dynamicforceforinternationalizing thecommercial
sector.
—ThewayinwhichthespecificcircumstancesofSME
aredealtwith—allthemoresoinasectormadeup
ofalargenumberofveritablemicro-unitswitha
family-basedstructure,onaverageemployingavery
smallnumberofpeople—appearsplainlyinad­
equate.Noreferenceismadetothevitalroleof
SMEinEurope'ssinglemarket,neitherfroman
economic,socialorculturalpointofview,noris
anymentionmadeofpoliciesgearedtotheirneeds.
—Asetofprogrammeshasbeenproposed,dealing,
inparticular,withnewtechnologies,butnoclear
ideahasbeengivenastohowtheseprogrammeswill
applytocommerce.Thisisallthemoreimportantin
viewofthesignificantdiscrepancybetweencom­
mercialfirms'capacitytoassimilatenewtechnol­
ogies(particularlysmallerfirms)andthescaleof
potentialinnovation.
—LittleattentionhasbeenpaidtotheCommunity's
commitmenttopromoteeconomicandsocial
cohesion.
—Thesocialconsequenceswhichwillinevitablyfol­
lowtheintroductionofnewtechnologieshavebeen
forgotten.
—Coverageofissuesrelatingtovocationaltrainingis
incomplete.
—Althoughcompetitionpolicyandsocialpolicyare
horizontallyorientatedpolicies,theyarebothof
importanceforthedistributionsector,andtheCom­
municationdoesnotgointotheminanydepth.
—Finally,onematterwhichgoesbeyondthebounds
ofthepresentdocumentbutwhichshouldbe
includedintheequation,istheseriousimbalance
betweenDGXXIII'sfinancialcapabilitytocarry
outaprogrammeofthistypeinthelightofthe
diagnosisofthesituation,andthemeasurespro­
posedinresponsetoit.
2.6.Someoftheweaknesseshighlightedcallforcon­
siderablefinancialcommitment ;withoutthis,theCom­
mission'sobjectiveswillnotbeachieved.Thecommer­
cialsectormustbeintegratedintooverallpolicyon
businessandnolongertreatedasamarginalsub-sector.
2.7.TheCommitteeexpressesitsconcernthatthe
fundsavailableunderthe1992budgetwillprobably
notbesufficienttocoverthislevelofactivities.The
CommissionCommunication estimatesthecostofthe
variousactivitiesin1992atapproximately ECU1,25
million.TheCommitteecallsontheCommission to
considermakingmoremoneyavailableforcommercial3.2.Thelinkbetweencommerceandconsumers
3.2.1.Inthepast,commercewasgearedmainlyto
manufacturers ,onwhomcommercedependedtoalarge
extent,sinceitsoldthegoodsmanufacturers passedon,
atpricesandunderconditionsdecidedbythemanufac­
turersthemselves .
3.2.2.Today,commercemustaboveallbetunedin
toconsumers'requirements .Ithastobuywhatthe
clientwantsandhastofollowdevelopments inclients'
tastesandqualityexpectations .
3.2.3.Consumers (betheyindividualsorfirms)are
nolongerpassivesubjectsofa'consumersocietyinflu­
encedbymasscommunication '.Thenewsocio-cultural
patternsaccompanyingthemovetowardsamore'com­
fort-orientated society'havegivenconsumersasignifi­
canteconomicrole.Moderncommercehasthusalso
becomeaneffectiveallyoftheconsumer;inthis
environmentthereisnoplaceforcommercialoperators
whowanttomaximizetheirprofits,totheclient'scost,
byreducingtheirqualityofservice.
3.2.4.Whatissolddependstolargeextentonhow
itissold;inotherwords,thewayinwhichaprod­
uct—boththeitemitselfandtheaccompanying ser­
vice—ispresentedtotheconsumer.
3.2.5.Commerce isthereforefirstandforemost
aboutprovidingaservice:thismeanstheattention

NoC14/42 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 20.1.92
3.3.5.Atthesametime,theretailsectorhasan
informationandeducationalfunctionwhichmakesit
differentfromothertypesofcommerce :givingthe
customerpersonalizedattentionmeansprovidinginfor­
mationandadvice,andaninformedcustomerwho
knowshisorherrequirementswillhelptostimulate
betterqualityinthesectorasawhole.
3.3.6.Twomajorimplicationsemergefromthe
above:
—commerce (particularlysmallretailers)nowadays
constitutesakeyelementintherevivalofurban
areas,
—themainobstaclestotheinternationalization of
commercial businessstemfromaninsufficient
awarenessofculturaldifferencesbetweenMember
Statesandtheirvariousregions;internationalization
willonlysucceedifthecommercialsectorcanadjust
tothesedifferences .giventoacustomer,thedegreeofaccessibilityand
mobility,productpresentation ,pre-andafter-salesser­
vice,thepossiblityofanextensivechoiceandtheprod­
uctdeliverysystem(inthewakeofanincreasein
distanceselling,to-the-doordeliveryhasmadea
reappearance).Thefunctionofcommerceistherefore
measuredintermsoftheoverallserviceprovidedand
notmerelytheactualsellingofgoods.
3.2.6.Thebestformofconsumerprotectionwill
developinparallelwitha)improvedqualityinthe
commercialsectorandb)greaterinterventioncapacity
forcommerceintheeconomy.
3.2.7.IftheCommunityis,asitshouldbe,concerned
withqualityoflifeandconsumerprotection,itshould
takeaccountoftheseaspectsinthemeasuresitputs
forward.
3.2.8.TheCommitteerecommends thattheCom­
missionencouragemeetingsbetweentheConsumers'
ConsultativeCommittee (CCC)andtheCommitteefor
CommerceandDistribution (CCD).
3.2.9.Thedistributionsectorshouldalsoinstigate
dialoguebetweenconsumersandproducers,anissue
dealtwithinaCommitteeOpinionsomeyearsago.
3.2.10.Suchdialogueshouldalsofacilitateself-regu­
latoryagreementsbetweenconsumersanddistributors .
TheCommissionisurgedtocreatetherightconditions
forsuchdialogue.
3.3.CommerceinEuropeasasignificantcultural
element3.4.Obstaclestocompetition
3.4.1.TheproposaltoreplaceCommunitydirectives
andstandards,asfaraspossible,withself-regulatory
commercialpracticeswithinCommunityboundaries
iswelcomed.Itshouldbenoted,however,thatthe
commercialsectorismarkedbyavarietyofdifferent
frameworkswhichpreventbusinessesfromoperating
onanequalfooting:inotherwords,thetermsof
competitionareunequel.Theseinstitutional ,adminis­
trative,fiscalandfinancialdifferencesdonotallflow
fromnationallawsandpractices,butareoftentobe
foundatlocalorregionalauthoritylevel.
3.4.2.Consequently ,theCommitteefeelsthatthe
Programmeshouldaddressthesesituationsmore
specifically,andtakeaccountoftheminfutureaction.
Theseissometimesatendencytoviewrestrictionson
competitionmainlyintermsofinter-company relations
(concentration trends,etc.),andtounderestimate the
relevanceofthecontexttheyoperatein;thisisinfacta
decisivefactor,particularlyforcommercialcompanies.
3.4.3.Stiffercompetitionbetweenfirmscouldcause
themtoresorttoquestionablemethodsinorderto
maintainorboosttheirshareofthemarket;thisis
onlypossiblebecausetherearegapsincompetition
legislation,whichmustbeplugged.
3.4.4.Moreco-operationbetweenfirmsappearsto
beanaturalandvitaldevelopmenttocommerce.Small
andmedium-sized commercialbusinesseswillfindtheir
futureinjeopardyifnoopportunitiesexistforco­
operationtoboostturnovercapacity.TheCommittee
believesthattheCommissionshouldurgentlyadopta
clearstanceonthismatter.3.3.1.Unlikeotherregionsoftheworld,thereis
awholeculturesurroundingcommerceinEurope,
foundedoncenturies-oldmerchantbusinessandvigor­
ouslinkswithotherpeoplesandcivilizations .Com­
mercehasalwaysplayedanactiveandintegralpart
inEurope'shistoryandachievements .
3.3.2.ForEuropeans,commercehasalwaysbeen
somethingmorethanthecirculationandsaleof
materialgoods;itinvolvesacertainknow-howand
acharacteristic style.Urbanareasgravitatearound
commerce,andthisinturnstimulatesculturalactivity.
Allthishastakenonconsiderableimportancenowthat
themarketandconsumersarerecognizedasplayinga
moreimportantroleineconomicdevelopment .
3.3.3.Thetaskofcommerceismorethansimply
satisfyingeconomicrequirements ;thecommercialsec­
torisnowincreasinglytryingtorelatetheserequire­
mentstopeople'ssociallifeandleisure,thusproviding
anewmeaningto'pleasureinpurchase'.
3.3.4.Inthisway,retailersarebecomingmore
dependentonthesurroundingsinwhichtheyoperate.
Thus,alinkhasbeenforged,aboveallofacultural
nature,betweenprospectiveclientsandthepremises
inwhichbusinessesareestablished .Thelocationof
premiseswillitselfhavetobeattractivetocustomers
beforetheywillbuyproductsthere.3.5.-Newcommercialtechnologies
3.5.1.TheCommitteesupportstheCommission's
callfortendersforpilotprojectstopromotemodern

20.1.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC14/43
commercialmethodsbymeansoftheimplementation
ofnewcommercialtechnology (91/C209/11).
3.5.2.Suchprogrammesareagoodwayofsupport­
ingtheemergenceofa'new'commercialsector.Itis
hopedthatDGXXIIIwillbegrantedtheappropriations
neededtocarrythemthrough.
3.6.Information3.7.2.Withtheendofdiscrimination betweensec­
torsasregardsaccesstotheStructuralFunds,the
approachtooperatingthefundshasundergoneamajor
change.Despitethis,commercehasdrawnlittlebenefit
fromtheEuropeanRegionalDevelopment Fund
(ERDF).TheonlyreferencetotheFundinthedocu­
mentdescribestheincentivessystemsetuptomod­
ernizePortuguesecommercewithERDFsupport.Given
theobjectivesof(a)economicandsocialcohesionand
(b)modernization ofcommerceintheless-developed
regions,thusreducingtheimbalanceswhichmake
movestowardsinternationalization unworkable,the
Committeerecommendsthatprogrammessuchasthe
onementionedabovebebackedasanimportantpolicy
instrumentforpromotingthedistributionsector.
3.7.3.Manyprospective youngentrepeneurs'
attemptstosetupabusinessfounderbecausethey
cannotobtainaccesstothenecessaryfundingifthey
donothaveenoughassetstobeacceptabletothe
backersasaloanguarantee.Insomecountries,inter
aliaGermany,specialappropriation fundshavebeen
setup,withpublicmoney,toberunbymutualbenefit
commercialguaranteeorganizationsforthepurposeof
providingprospectiveyoungentrepreneurswiththe
covertheyneed.TheCommissionwoulddowellto
providesimilarfacilitiesundertheNewCommunity
Instrument (NCI)programme .
3.7.3.1.TheESCSreservestherighttogiveitsviews
onthissubjectinalaterOpinionontheCommission
Communication on'Theroleofmutualguaranteesys­
temsinthefinancingofSMEintheEuropeanCom­
munity[ESC(91)1550finalof5September1991]'.3.6.1.Information isunquestionably oneofthe
majorproblemsfacingdistributioncompaniesinthe
Community .TheCommitteeattachesgreatimportance
toimprovingthequalityofstatisticsproduced,but,
onceproduced,itisalsoimportanttomakeallsuch
dataaccessibletocompanieswhichneedthem.For
informationtobeofrealpracticaluse,itmustbe
channelledthroughtocompaniesanditmust,toalarge
extent,bespecific:databases,computeraccountingand
managementprogrammes ,marketstudiesandstudies
intonewmarketingtechniques,staffqualificationsand
labourcosts,togetherwiththepublicationofbusiness
and/orco-operationopportunitiescanserveasbasic
workingtoolsiftheyareputtogetherkeepingsector
realitiesinmind.
3.6.2.TheCommitteehighlightstheprominentrole
thatEuro-Info-Centres couldplayhere,assoonasthey
areprovidedwiththerightconditionsforcarryingout
thetasksforwhichtheyweresetup.
3.6.3.TheCommitteewouldalsosuggestthatthe
Commissionprogrammeincludepublicationsonthe
sectorand,inparticular,abrochureexplainingthe
relevantCommunityprogrammes ,settingouteligibility
andapplicationproceduresforcompanies (thisrefers
inparticulartoalltheprogrammesmentionedinthe
Communication ,ofwhichmostcompaniesare
unaware).
3.6.4.TheCommitteewouldfurthersuggestthatthe
Programmeconsidertheneedtosupportexperience­
swappingbetweentradefederationsfromdifferent
countries,andthatattentionbegiventotheimportant
rolewhichexistingassociationsintheMemberStates
shouldplayindisseminatinginformation .3.8.Vocationaltraining
3.8.1.Improvedtrainingforemployersandworkers
inthissectoriswithoutanydoubtanessentialtarget
insuchalabour-intensive sector,wherethequalityof
humanresourcesunderpinsthequalityoftheservice
providedandisvitalifthelatestcommercialmethods
aretobeputtogooduse.
3.8.2.TheCommitteeviewsclosecollaboration
betweentradefederationsandtradeunionstobe
extremelyimportantinthissphere.Theexample
referredtobytheCommission—thecommunication on
vocationaltrainingdrawnupbytheEuropeanConfed­
erationforRetailTrade(CECD)andtheEuropean
RegionalOrganizationoftheInternationalFederation
ofCommercial ,Clerical,ProfessionalandTechnical
Employees (EURO-FIET )—mustbeviewedasaposi­
tivestep.Other,similarinitiativesmustbetakenwith­
outdelay.ThisincludescontactsbetweentheFeder­
ationofEuropeanWholesaleandInternationalTrade
Associations (FEWITA)andEURO-FIET onwork
qualifications inthewholesaletrade.
3.8.3.Communitypolicyinthisareashould,inour
view,focusonsixaspects:3.7.FundingcommercialSMEinvestment
3.7.1.SMEareencounteringevermoredifficulties
ingainingaccesstofunding;discrimination between
companiesinsecuringEuropeanInvestmentBank(EIB)
fundingisthereforeconsideredtobetotallyunjustified,
andquitecontrarytothereasoningandspiritbehind
theCommissiondocument.Itisspeciallyrecommended
thattheCommission lookintothismatter.

NoC14/44 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 20.1.92
3.10.2.TheCommitteethereforeadvocatesa)more
activeandsustainedlinksbetweentheCommissionand
theseassociations ,andb)involvementoftheseinthe
Programme .Thisisnecessaryifactionistobemore
effectiveandlessentangledinredtape.
3.10.3.Inthespecificcaseoftradeanddistribution,
thismeansrecognitionofthesector'sEuropean
associations—CECD/FEWITA—aspermanentparties
toaCommunity-level dialogue,inthesamewaythat
theUnionofIndustriesoftheEuropeanCommunity
(UNICE)representstheindustrialsector.
3.10.4.Chambersofcommerceanddistributive
cooperativesshouldalsobegrantedthesupportthey
needtoallowthemtocontinuetocarryouttheir
importantrole.—theneedtosimplifythecomplicatedformswhich
firmsarerequiredtofillin(without,however,losing
controloveraidgivenorreducingtheeffectiveness
ofmeasures),
—creationoftherightconditionstoensurethereis
enoughtrainingpersonneltomatchneeds,
—trainingforbusinessmanagersandseniorstaff,
particularlyintheSME,
—supportforin-servicetrainingmeasures,
—establishingsupportprogrammesforcommercial
vocationaltraining,especiallyinitiativeslaunched
byregional,localorbusinessassociations :inmany
oftheless-developedareasoftheCommunity,com­
mercerepresentsoneofonlyfeweconomicactivities
andprovidesthemainimpetusfordevelopment ,
—supportfortheForceProgramme,anditsextension
toallcommercialfirms.
3.11.Economicandsocialcohesion
3.11.1.TheTreatyofRomedeclarestheaimof
'economicandsocialprogress'ofEECMemberStates,
'toeliminatethebarrierswhichdivideEurope'.Itgoes
ontostatethat'theremovalofexistingobstaclescalls
forconcertedactioninordertoguaranteesteadyexpan­
sion,balancedtradeandfaircompetition'.
3.11.2.Strengthening 'theunityoftheireconomies'
and'reducingthedifferencesexistingbetweenthe
regions'arealsoamongtheTreaty'sfundamentalobjec­
tives.3.9.Abetterunderstandingofthesector
3.9.1.PromotingresearchintoCommunitytradeisa
furtheressentialobjectivewhichshouldbeencouraged .
3.9.2.Giventhecurrentlevelofunderstanding of
thesector,theCommitteeconsidersthat,paralleltoa
moregeneralapproachcoveringtheentireCommunity,
aregional,nationalandsubsectoralapproachincon­
junctionwithMemberStatesisrequiredtoprovidea
clearerpictureofthestateofCommunitycommerce.
3.9.3.TheCommitteeendorsesthestudiestheCom­
missioniscarryingoutandsuggeststhatthefollowing
issuesalsobedealtwith:
—relationsbetweendifferenttypesofcommerceand,
inparticular,betweenthelargeeconomicgroups
andtheSMEoperatinginthissector,withinthe
singleinternalmarket,
—cross-bordertrade:itsspecialfeaturesandpossible
contributiontogreaterintegration/internationaliza­
tionofcommercialbusiness,
—businessapplicationsofnewtechnologiesforcom­
mercialSME,
—formsofCommunity-level cooperationbetween
firms(e.g.casestudies),
—thenewfaceofcommerce,givenconsumers'buying
habits.3.11.3.'Acommoncommercialpolicy'contributing
'totheprogressiveabolitionofrestrictionsoninter­
nationaltrade'isseenasoneoftheinstrumentsfor
implementingthispolicy.
3.11.4.Article3oftheTreatyamplifiestheseaims
andsetsouttheCommunity'sfunctionin:
—institutingasystemtoensurethatcompetitionis
notdistorted,and
—applyingproceduresbywhichtheeconomicpolicies
oftheMemberStatescanbecoordinatedanddis­
equilibriaintheirbalancesofpaymentsremedied.
3.11.5.Progressandeconomicexpansion,balanced
trade,faircompetition,unityofeconomiesandreduced
regionaldifferencestogetherconstitutethefoundations
ofthesingleinternalmarket.Thecommoncommercial
policyandtheprogressiveabolitionofrestrictionson
intra-Community tradebothsetouttoachievethis
objectivethroughthefreemovementofgoods,abolition
ofcustomstariffsbetweenMemberStates,development3.10.Moreinvolvementofassociations
3.10.1.Recentfar-reachingpoliticalchangeshave
meantanever-strongerroleforeconomicoperators,
tradefederationsandtradeunionsandconsumer
bodies.TheCommission Communication itselfreco­
gnizesthis,clearlyacceptingthetrendtowardsself­
regulation .

20.1.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC14/45
ofacommoncustomspolicyandtheabolitionofquan­
titativerestrictionsontradebetweenMemberStates.
3.11.6.TheCommunication glossesoverthesegen­
eralbutessentialCommunityobjectives,whicharethe
practicalexpressionoftheconceptofeconomicand
socialcohesion.
3.11.7.TheCommunication providesanaccurate
pictureofthecurrentsituation,statingthat'European
commerceisstillstronglypartitionedonnationallines'
andthat'veryfewcommercialfirmsholdsignificant
marketsharesoutsidetheircountryoforigin'.
3.11.8.Thelackofeffectivelegislativestructuresin
someMemberStateshasledtothedisappearance of
manySME,generatinganirreversibledeclineinboth
urbanandruralareas:somebenefitsdoaccrueto
consumers,butthesocialimpactissignificant.The
evidencecanbeseeninMemberStateswhereout­
of-townhypermarkets havemushroomedinanarchic
fashion.
3.11.9.Theproblemofsuchhypermarketscannot
onlybeconsideredasashort-termissue;itmustbe
studiedinthebroader,long-termcontextoftheneedfor
abalancedcommercialsectorinthedifferentMember
States.3.11.10.Soasnottostripeconomicandsocial
cohesionofitssubstance,theCommitteeurgesthe
Commissiontoincludethefollowinginitsworkpro­
gramme:
—arecommendation toMemberStatestofosterand
protecttraditionalcommercialareasintowns,
whichactasfocalpointsofsocialcontactand
activity,
—supportprogrammesfora)localprojectsdevised
bytraders'associations,orb)cooperativeinitiatives
launchedbycompanieslocatedinthetraditional
commercialdistrictsofurbanareas,whichcancon­
tributetotheirrecoveryandpreventbusinesses
movingout,
—supportfor'commercialtown-planning 'schemes,
interaliahaltingthecurrentmigrationofbusiness
awayfromresidentialdistricts,irrespectiveof
whetherthesearelocatedinoutlyingareasofcities,
—nationalmeasurestosafeguardurbancentres,the
objectiveofwhichmustbetomaintainworking
capacityandnottoprotectspecifictypesofcom­
mercefromcompetition .
3.11.11.Finally,theCommitteewouldalertthe
CommissiontothefactthattheCommunitycommer­
cialsectorisparticularlysensitivetochangesinits
businessenvironment .Thus,particularaccountshould
betakenofanyadverserepercussionswhichchanges
intaxandfinanciallegislation,togetherwithlegislation
ontheenvironment ,healthandsafetyatworkand
standardization ,mighthaveoncommercialbusinesses.
DoneatBrussels,31October1991.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
FrancoisSTAEDELIN