The European Union average transportation deficit reached its target of 1% over a year ahead of schedule, according to the European Commission Internal Market Scoreboard.
In the European Commission’s first Internal Market Scoreboard, in November 1997, the EU average transposition deficit of 6.3%. In 2001, the European Council set an average 1.5% transposition deficit as an interim target, which was reached in December 2006. In March 2007, the European heads of state and government decided to further reduce the transposition deficit to 1% by 2009 at the latest. That target was reached in May 2008.
“This is a remarkable feat and deserves special praise,” says Charlie McCreevy, member of the European Commission responsible for the Internal Market. “Moreover, it is striking that the deficit decreased on two consecutive occasions although the numbers of directives to be transposed actually increased in the last six months.”