Quality of Services - Codes of conduct

19.12.2007 - Working document of the Commission: "Quality of services – the role of European codes of conduct"

One of the less well-known and yet essential features of the Services Directive is the chapter dealing with quality of services, which aims at ensuring the high quality of services by encouraging, among other things, self-regulation, if need be through the elaboration of European codes of conduct. The ultimate goal is to facilitate the free movement of services in the Internal Market.

The Directorate General for the Internal Market and Services held a public on-line consultation between 30 May and 15 August 2007, when professional organisations were asked to provide information on their codes of conduct, in force or under preparation, and to give their views on the best possible way to establish codes of conduct at European level.

Further to this consultation, DG Internal Market and Services is now publishing this document. As part of the actions undertaken by the Commission services with a view to supporting the implementation of the Services Directive, the document seeks to contribute to the promotion of European codes of conduct. To this end, based on the public consultation, it features an inventory of existing European codes of conduct, with a description of their scope and content and of the relationship with national codes of conduct.

The purpose of this document is not to lay down a European model code, or to oblige professional organisations to engage in self-regulation, but only to provide a technical overview of existing European codes and to constitute a source of information and of inspiration for those professional organisations wishing to draw up such codes, notably by disseminating information on the form and content of the existing codes.

• Working document 

Disclaimer: The present document has been drawn up by the services of the Directorate General for Internal Market and Services and does not bind the Commission as an institution. The Commission remains free to adopt a position different to that taken in this document, notably in the framework of infringement procedures.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at the following address: markt-code-of-conduct@ec.europa.eu

30.05.2007 - The Commission launches a vast consultation on codes of conduct

• Press release (04.06.2007)