Meeting on 4 and 5 December in Brussels, EU ministers in charge of competitiveness discussed measures to improve the EU single market. They agreed that the EU needs a truly single market in transportation, energy and digital services, a fully implemented services directive, smarter regulation, SME-friendlier rules and better customs risk management. Also, the ministers stressed the importance of an effective intellectual property framework. Concerning legislative acts, the Council endorsed the general approach on the package travel directive. This directive is aimed at ensuring better protection for consumers purchasing travel services in packages, mainly by accommodating the legislative framework to the current situation in the market where a large proportion of travel services is bought online. The ministers also agreed on new rules concerning safety standards for cable cars. European space policy and European Research Area initiatives were also discussed.

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