The Spanish government accepted on Friday March 27 a proposed bill to implement the EU Services Directive completely. It is expected to increase GDP by 1.2 percentage units and 150 000 - 200 000 new jobs within 3-3,5 years.
The Service sector accounts for 2/3 of the Spanish economy.
The package means that around 50 laws changes and a number of administrative barriers for professional services will abolish.
Service companies from other EU countries will through the changes in the law be guaranteed free access to the services they want to perform in Spain. The package provides at the same time strengthened consumer protection.
The crisis also strikes the service sector, where the turnover fell by nearly 18 percent in January compared with January 2008. Employment has declined by nearly 5 percent. It is the seventh month in a row where jobs are reduced in the sector, mostly within trade where it is reduced by 20 percent, transportation by 17 percent and business services by 13 percent.
Tony Harken
Source
Confederation of Swedish Enterprise