The Commissioner for Internal Markets Charlie McCreevy said he found some of the arguments advanced by EU countries against the free movement of workers "depressing and frankly, distasteful."
Speaking in Dublin today to highlight the information services on the EU available to citizens, Mr McCreevy addressed some of the issues that had arisen in trying to get the Services Directive passed.
He said historically the role of services had been ignored and that now they represented between 60 and 70 per cent of the EU's economic activity.
Mr McCreevy said studies had shown a series of barriers holding businesses back with mountains of red tape and regulation.
Mr McCreevy said his predecessor in office, Frits Bolkestein decided to try and remove all the obstacles in one stroke. "As a decision, it was bold and brave . . . but rarely have I seen a legislative proposal give rise to such controversy and dispute."
He added that many politicians believed that it was this approach and its embodiment of the Polish plumber that collapsed the European Constitution in France.
Subsequently the European Parliament wen through the proposal and "found a way to bridge the differences that were causing deep divisions".
Mr McCreevy said the resulting proposal was "solid and worthwhile . . . not as radical as some would like . . . [but] with the capacity to make life very much easier for business."
He said gaps remained in the internal markets, with many sectors not having achieved the level of integration anticipated.
But he said, Europe was aware of the challenges, it was reforming and had been re-energised by the arrival of new member states.
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