The following excerpts are from an interesting research paper on the future viability of the European single market, the cornerstone of the EU, and can be read in its entirety at:

http://www.cep.eu/fileadmin/user_upload ... Gerken.pdf


THE EU SINGLE MARKET:
FREE MARKETS, PROTECTIONISM
AND EXCESSIVE REGULATION


"The future viability of the European Single
Market is at risk"

"the Single Market is the starting
point and heart of in-depth European
integration"

"it is much too easy to proclaim the
successful achievements of the past and ignore
the alarming developments that are
jeopardizing the sustainable continuation of
the Single Market"

"Four findings indicate that Europe's Single
Market policy is moving in the wrong direction.
In the end, this could result in the failure of the
Single Market project – and with it probably
also the failure of European integration
altogether"

"First finding: the European Union is
increasingly losing its ability to protect the
Single Market from intensifying
protectionism on the part of the Member
States."

"It is part of the fundamental intrinsic nature of
the European Union to protect barrier-free
movement of goods, services, persons and
capital from being undermined by protectionist
measures of the Member States. However, this
is increasingly no longer possible."

"The reasons for this can be found on the one
hand in the increasingly frequent and blatant
attempts by Member States to assert their
protectionist interests by explicitly breaching
the Single Market rules."

"the more frequently the Member States
successfully undermine the Single Market, the
less willing will they be to respect its basic rules.
This automatically results in an erosion of the
Single Market rules"




Treaty Establishing the European Community
(as amended by the Amsterdam Treaty)

PART THREE
COMMUNITY POLICIES

TITLE I

FREE MOVEMENT OF GOODS
…
CHAPTER 2
PROHIBITION OF QUANTITATIVE RESTRICTIONS BETWEEN MEMBER STATES

Article 28
Quantitative restrictions on imports and all measures having equivalent effect shall be prohibited between Member States.

Article 29
Quantitative restrictions on exports, and all measures having equivalent effect, shall be prohibited between Member States.

Article 30
The provisions of Articles 28 and 29 shall not preclude prohibitions or
restrictions on imports, exports or goods in transit justified on grounds of public morality, public policy or public security; the protection of health and life of humans, animals or plants; the protection of national treasures possessing artistic, historic or archaeological value; or the protection of industrial and commercial property. Such prohibitions or restrictions shall not, however, constitute a means of arbitrary discrimination or a disguised restriction on trade between Member States.

http://www.juridicum.su.se/jurweb/utbil ... %20_2_.pdf