ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES 
DE LA COMMISSION 
 
 
 
COLLECTION RELIEE DES 
DOCUMENTS "COM" 
 
 
 
 
COM (83) 1 44 
 
 
 
 
Vol. 1983/0 042 
  
 
Disclaimer  
Conformém ent au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique 
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, 
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003 
(JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p. 1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents 
classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit 
règlem ent. 
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Econom ic 
Communit y and the European Atom ic Energy Communit y (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as 
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243, 
27.9.2003, p. 1 ), this file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this 
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.  
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom  1. 
Februar 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen  
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgem einschaft (ABI. L 43 vom  15.2.1983,  
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. Septem ber 2003  
(ABI. L 2 43 vom  27.9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit  
erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in dieser Datei in Übereinstimmung m it Artikel 5  
der genannten Verordnung freigegeben.  
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(83)1ltlt final
Brussels, 15 March 1983
I N T E R N A L  M A R K E T  P R O B L E M S
C om m ission communication to the E uropean Council,  
21/22 M a r ch  1983
COM(83)1 Vf· final

The European Council session in Copenhagen on 3/^ December  
1982 stated that the strengthening of the Common Market was a  
major component in a growth strategy based on reactivation of  
investment, and accordingly requested the Council to define  
its position by not later than the end of March 19^3 on the  
priority measures proposed by the Commission for strengthening  
the internal market.
The Council sessions on 1 February and 1 March 1 9 8 3»  devoted  
exclusively to the subject of the internal market, reached agree­
ment on only about one-third of these acknowledged priority  
measures. On two important sets of matters in the Copenhagen  
programme positions were not adopted within the time scheduled:  
the obstacles to agreement are listed in the annex.
The Commission records with regret that the Council has 
thus not acted on certain important parts of the European  
Council's instructions. As a result the European Council's  
intention of restoring the confidence of the economic sectors  
in the dynamism of integration has not materialized.
II.
Only if the remaining issues are settled as speedily as  
possible and further substantial progress achieved in the matter  
of the internal market can the comprehensive strategy adopted  
by the European Council for overcoming the economic crisis be 
put into effect.
This being so, the European Council should:

2
(1) repeat with the utmost firmness its Copenhagen instructions  
to the Council of Ministers to reach agreement on the  
Community certificate for third-country products and the  
Commission proposals for easing customs formalities in  
intra-Community trade without delay /and in any event by  
the end of June 1983/»
(2) request the Council to define its position by the end of  
June 1983 on the Commission proposals concerning the  
internal market in the Presidency's programme;
(3) as concerns modus operand!,  request the Council to  
keep to the arrangement of special sessions devoted to  
internal market matters and to take the necessary steps  
regarding: the preparation of these so that the proceedings  
can progress quickly.

ANNEX
PROBLEMS AT COUNCIL SESSIONS
1. The harmonization proceedings with respect to obstacles to  
trade (20 Directives to date), without which there can be  
no freedom of movement, will remain blocked unless and until  
the Council takes a decision on the Community certificate for  
third-country products. The only point still in dispute is  
how far the individual Member States are entitled to treat a  
Community certificate as not applying to their territory  
without sufficient joint control. Two Member States are still  
holding out for a large measure of discretion in exceptional  
cases.
2. The Commission is seeking by easing customs formalities  
at least to make Community-wide the conditions obtaining  
in the Belgo-Luxembourg Union.
Involved here are four proposals, one of which, on easing  
checks on persons, only came under scrutiny by Council officials  
in March.
Of the other three, it would appear that agreement could  
be reached quickly on the proposal for a Directive easing the  
formalities in connection with intra-Community trade in goods  
if one Member State in particular would withdraw its objections  
as regards recognition of test results and the scope of the  
regulation on customs offices' hours of business.

3
The proposal to introduce a single document met with refusal  
to take the decision in principle by adopting the basic Regulation  
unless the details of the implementing Regulation were fully  
spelt out.
One Member State wanted the entire proceedings, aside from  
the documentary part, concentrated on the future computer network  
to be established in the customs services. In the Commission's  
view this proposal would never work unless the single document  
was introduced first, owing to the disparate data.
The Fourteenth VAT Directive failed to be adopted owing to  
some Member States' fears of the financial implications of  
transferring VAT investigations from the frontiers to inland  
customs offices.
From the arguments adduced one cannot but feel that civil  
service inertia has once again carried the day.