The Services Directive is designed to break down barriers to the trade in services and should make it easier to set up a business or offer services in another Member State.
This directive (2006/123/EC) has now been approved and was published in the Official Journal on 27 December 2006.
The UK had until 28 December 2009 to bring into force any new national laws, regulations or administrative processes needed to comply with the Directive.
The Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform is overseeing implementation in the UK.
The UK Government's response to a public consultation on the Services Directive was published in June 2008.
UK MEPs who spoke in the European Parliament's 2nd reading debate on the Services Directive on 15 November 2006: