Engineering and the Single Market

The European Community is now well on its way to becoming an integrated single market. By the end of 1992, goods, services, capital and people will move freely across the internal borders of the 12 Member States to create a unified market of some 320 million people. The implications of the single market will have profound effects both for the members of the Community and their trading partners, especially their main competitors: the USA and Japan. This article provides industrial awareness of important issues by highlighting specific areas that will present implications for the engineering industries. It then suggests ways in which companies can evaluate their current position to take account of future changes. There are many new and exciting opportunities, but preparation is needed now so that such opportunities can be capitalised upon.