The single market is the core of the EU,
integration in other areas only serves
the optimal function of the internal
market
Gheraisa Dokman, Boris Timmer, Marlies Moerman
Final paper European Integration 2024-2025
05/01/2024
, Paper
Introduction
The Single Market is widely considered to be one the major achievements of European integration.
Article 3(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) describes how the internal
market operates in function of the free movement of goods, capital, services, and labour (Egan,
2019). The Single Market also functions as the foundation of the Economic and Monetary Union
(EMU), especially the eurozone. It is therefore not comparable to simply ‘just another policy domain’
in European integration. On the contrary, many policies are built upon the broader framework of the
Single Market (Pelkmans, 2016). The Single Market can thus be seen as a foundational cornerstone of
the EU, the project has been envisioned ever since the establishment of the European Coal and Steel
Community (ECSC) in 1951.
The question then arises whether or not integration in areas other than the Single Market only serve
the optimal function of the internal market. This paper will go into depth about this question and will
give arguments supporting and undermining the statement. Firstly, it will elaborate on the initial
goals of certain policy fields in comparison to their later goals. Subsequently, this essay will examine
some advantages and negative consequences of the Single Market, thereby offering a more nuanced
perspective on its central role it is often said to play.
The initial versus later goal of the EU
The first argument of this paper is that from the beginning the primary objective of the EU was to
establish a Single Market. The Treaty of Paris resulted in the establishment of the ECSC, which
initially had a purely economic output, namely coal and steel industries (Groenendijk & Hospers,
2002). Then, there was the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and finally, the European
Economic Community (EEC). Further integration was always done in function of that idea of creating
a Single Market, with the underlying aim of sustaining peace in post-World War II Europe. The
founding fathers of the EU thus saw the single market as the only way to maintain that peace
(Ludlow, 2017).
On the other hand, the European Union today represents far more than just an economic union. It
encompasses a wide range of policy domains which have grown into new pillars of the EU,
functioning alongside the Single Market (Eeckhout, 2013). To elaborate further, this essay will
examine two specific policy fields, explaining how they initially served the internal market but have
more recently expanded into substantially broader areas.
Digitalisation
Pro-argument: From the perspective of integration within the area of Digitalisation Policy,
digitalisation was first established to directly support the Single Market through the creation of the
Digital Single Market. As the global economy becomes increasingly more digital, the development of
the Digital Single Market needed to be a priority for the European Commission, to reduce barriers,
particularly in e-commerce (Martens, 2013; European Commission, 2015). The Digital Agenda for
integration in other areas only serves
the optimal function of the internal
market
Gheraisa Dokman, Boris Timmer, Marlies Moerman
Final paper European Integration 2024-2025
05/01/2024
, Paper
Introduction
The Single Market is widely considered to be one the major achievements of European integration.
Article 3(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) describes how the internal
market operates in function of the free movement of goods, capital, services, and labour (Egan,
2019). The Single Market also functions as the foundation of the Economic and Monetary Union
(EMU), especially the eurozone. It is therefore not comparable to simply ‘just another policy domain’
in European integration. On the contrary, many policies are built upon the broader framework of the
Single Market (Pelkmans, 2016). The Single Market can thus be seen as a foundational cornerstone of
the EU, the project has been envisioned ever since the establishment of the European Coal and Steel
Community (ECSC) in 1951.
The question then arises whether or not integration in areas other than the Single Market only serve
the optimal function of the internal market. This paper will go into depth about this question and will
give arguments supporting and undermining the statement. Firstly, it will elaborate on the initial
goals of certain policy fields in comparison to their later goals. Subsequently, this essay will examine
some advantages and negative consequences of the Single Market, thereby offering a more nuanced
perspective on its central role it is often said to play.
The initial versus later goal of the EU
The first argument of this paper is that from the beginning the primary objective of the EU was to
establish a Single Market. The Treaty of Paris resulted in the establishment of the ECSC, which
initially had a purely economic output, namely coal and steel industries (Groenendijk & Hospers,
2002). Then, there was the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and finally, the European
Economic Community (EEC). Further integration was always done in function of that idea of creating
a Single Market, with the underlying aim of sustaining peace in post-World War II Europe. The
founding fathers of the EU thus saw the single market as the only way to maintain that peace
(Ludlow, 2017).
On the other hand, the European Union today represents far more than just an economic union. It
encompasses a wide range of policy domains which have grown into new pillars of the EU,
functioning alongside the Single Market (Eeckhout, 2013). To elaborate further, this essay will
examine two specific policy fields, explaining how they initially served the internal market but have
more recently expanded into substantially broader areas.
Digitalisation
Pro-argument: From the perspective of integration within the area of Digitalisation Policy,
digitalisation was first established to directly support the Single Market through the creation of the
Digital Single Market. As the global economy becomes increasingly more digital, the development of
the Digital Single Market needed to be a priority for the European Commission, to reduce barriers,
particularly in e-commerce (Martens, 2013; European Commission, 2015). The Digital Agenda for
