New laws are in force making it easier for businesses to provide
cross-border services within the EEA.
The legislation, which came into force on 28 December 2009,
allows businesses to provide temporary and occasional services in
another member state on the basis of a licence granted by its home
member state.
With reciprocal implementation of the directive by all member
states, this should lead to further liberalisation of the market
for services within the EU.
Some services are exempt, such as financial, audiovisual, health
and social services, transport, executorship and notarial
services.
A key feature is 'silent consent', where licences are
automatically granted if the relevant local authority fails to make
a decision on the application within a specified period.
