The Single Market

Abstract

The single market is the core business of the EU (Pelkmans, 2016). It is a project where policy and politics meet. In terms of policy, the single market has been developed achieving around the goal of freedom of free movement in relation to goods, capital, services, and people. This has implied an extension of the original core of the single market to a full range of policy domains, most recently the digital dimension of an integrated market. In terms of politics, over the years the single market has exposed the differences among Member States on models of capitalism and regulation, as well as the tension between integration as pursed by the European Commission and the protection of national sovereignty in key policy domains. Policies to complete the single market have also raised concerns and political contestation in civil societies and political parties the debate on the vision, achievements and limits of single market ha gradually become more politicized. s We review the evolution of the single market project, discuss its achievements, present the innovations brought about by the digital single market, and provide a compass to read analytically this governance architecture of markets. We conclude that the single market will remain a formidable lens to capture the achievements as well as the legitimacy of the integration project.