Brussels 29 November 2018 - Poor application of Single Market rules by Member States remains a challenge – according to the Commission’s state-of-play released last week. “Just as we are resisting protectionism outside the EU, we should resist fragmentation inside the EU”, said Internal Market and Industry Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska. In the chemical sector too, new barriers fragment the single market. Some Member States introduce country-specific restrictions on chemicals often based on conflicting scientific evidence or rely on restrictive interpretation of EU legislation to prohibit market access. In other areas, such as export control, harmonisation has not yet delivered the expected benefits of a common EU rulebook, with the result that companies still have to deal with a patchwork of national regimes. Cefic supports the EU’s efforts to address the challenge of delivering the Single Market. A strong and resilient Single Market is an indispensable element for the chemical sector to operate and compete successfully. Download the Single Market position paper.