Parltrack

OBJECTIF : établir les dispositions relatives à la traduction applicables au brevet de l'Union européenne.

ACTE PROPOSÉ : Règlement du Conseil.

CONTEXTE : dans l'Union européenne (UE), la protection par le brevet est actuellement assurée par des brevets nationaux délivrés par les États membres ou par des brevets européens délivrés par l'Office européen des brevets (OEB) au titre de la Convention sur le brevet européen (CBE). Lorsqu'un brevet européen est délivré, il doit être validé dans les États membres où la protection est recherchée.

Pour qu'un brevet européen soit validé sur le territoire d'un État membre, le droit national peut notamment exiger que le titulaire du brevet soumette une traduction de ce brevet dans la langue officielle de cet État membre. Afin de réduire les coûts associés aux exigences de validation, les États parties à la CBE ont adopté en 2000 l'accord dit «de Londres», qui est actuellement en vigueur dans dix États membres de l'UE.

L'accord de Londres est un mécanisme optionnel, ce qui se traduit par des différences entre régimes de traduction selon les États membres de l'UE.  De ce fait, le système de brevet dans l'UE, notamment en termes d'exigences de traduction, se caractérise aujourd'hui par des coûts très élevés et une grande complexité. Un brevet européen validé dans 13 pays peut coûter jusqu'à 20.000 EUR, dont 14.000 EUR pour les seules traductions, ce qui le rend plus de dix fois plus cher qu'un brevet américain (US), qui coûte environ 1.850 EUR. Ces coûts en Europe pourraient être considérablement réduits par la mise en place de dispositions pour la traduction qui offrent un bon rapport coût-efficacité et qui soient plus simples et juridiquement sûres.

La présente proposition permettrait de réduire à moins de 6.200 EUR les frais de procédure pour un brevet de l'UE couvrant les 27 États membres, 10% environ de ce coût seulement étant dû aux traductions. En facilitant l'accès à la protection que confère le brevet, surtout pour les PME et les organismes de recherche publics, un brevet de l'UE abordable pourrait contribuer de manière significative à stimuler l'innovation et la compétitivité dans l'UE.

En décembre 2009, le Conseil a adopté des conclusions sur un «système de brevets amélioré en Europe» et une orientation générale sur la proposition de règlement sur le brevet de l'UE. Le Conseil a conclu qu'un règlement concernant les dispositions relatives à la traduction devait entrer en vigueur en même temps que le règlement sur le brevet de l'UE. Par ailleurs, dans le cadre de l'initiative phare «Une Union pour l'innovation» de la stratégie Europe 2020, la Commission a réitéré son engagement en faveur de la création d'un brevet unique de l'UE.

ANALYSE D'IMPACT : l'analyse d'impact qui accompagne la proposition compare l'incidence économique de quatre options:

• Option 1 : un système de brevet de l'UE en anglais seulement;
• Option 2 : un brevet de l'UE traité, délivré et publié dans l'une des trois langues officielles de l'OEB, les revendications étant traduites dans les deux autres langues officielles;
• Option 3 : un brevet de l'UE traité, délivré et publié comme pour l'option 2, mais les revendications étant traduites dans les quatre autres langues officielles de l'UE les plus couramment parlées; et
• Option 4 : un brevet de l'UE traité, délivré et publié comme pour les options 2 et 3, mais les revendications étant traduites dans toutes les langues officielles de l'UE.

L'analyse a montré que l'option 2 était à privilégier parce qu'elle préserve le régime linguistique du système bien rodé de l'OEB et n'implique que des coûts de traduction très faibles.

BASE JURIDIQUE : le traité de Lisbonne a créé une nouvelle base juridique, l'article 118 TFUE, pour la création de titres européens assurant une protection uniforme des droits de propriété intellectuelle dans l'Union. L'article 118, deuxième alinéa précise la base pour l'établissement des régimes linguistiques des titres européens assurant une protection uniforme des droits de propriété intellectuelle, à savoir des règlements adoptés par procédure législative spéciale, le Conseil statuant à l'unanimité après consultation du Parlement européen.

CONTENU : les principales dispositions du règlement proposé sont les suivantes :

Publication du fascicule du brevet de l'UE : la proposition prévoit que dès lors que le fascicule du brevet de l'UE est publié conformément à l'article 14, paragraphe 6, de la CBE, aucune autre traduction n'est requise. La CBE prévoit que les fascicules de brevet européen sont publiés dans la langue de la procédure (l'une des trois langues officielles de l'OEB dans laquelle la demande de brevet a été déposée: l'allemand, l'anglais ou le français) et comportent une traduction des revendications dans les deux autres langues officielles de l'OEB. Cette exigence minimale prévue par la CBE s'appliquera aussi au brevet de l'UE, mais aucune autre traduction ne sera exigée après la délivrance du brevet de l'UE. Cet article précise aussi que conformément à la CBE, c'est le fascicule du brevet de l'UE dans la langue de la procédure qui fait foi.

Cette exigence est identique à celle prévue par la proposition initiale de la Commission sur le brevet communautaire d'août 2000. Elle s'appuie sur le système existant de langues officielles de l'OEB et sur l'utilisation des langues par la majorité des demandeurs. Cette solution devrait avoir des effets positifs sur tous les utilisateurs du système des brevets en Europe en réduisant considérablement les coûts de traduction.

Traduction en cas de différend : le texte prévoit qu'en cas de différend juridique, le titulaire du brevet doit fournir, à ses frais et au choix du contrefacteur présumé, une traduction complète du brevet de l'UE dans une des langues officielles de l'État membre où la contrefaçon présumée a eu lieu ou dans une des langues officielles de l'État membre où le contrefacteur présumé a son domicile. Le titulaire du brevet doit aussi fournir une traduction complète du brevet de l'UE dans la langue de la procédure de la juridiction compétente de l'Union européenne, sur demande de cette juridiction. Le coût de ces traductions est supporté par le titulaire du brevet.

Rapport sur la mise en œuvre du règlement : la mise en œuvre du règlement fera l'objet d'une évaluation, y compris l'élaboration d'un rapport. Dans un délai de cinq ans à compter de l'entrée en vigueur du règlement, la Commission devrait présenter au Conseil un rapport sur le fonctionnement des dispositions relatives à la traduction du brevet de l'UE et, si nécessaire, faire des propositions appropriées de modification du règlement.

INCIDENCE BUDGÉTAIRE : la proposition implique notamment de prendre des dispositions concernant le déploiement du programme de traduction automatique de l'OEB. La proposition n'a aucune incidence sur le budget de l'Union européenne.

PURPOSE: to set out the translation arrangements of the EU patent.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.

BACKGROUND: patent protection is currently provided by national patents granted by Member States or by European patents granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) under the European Patent Convention (EPC). When a European patent is granted, it must be validated in Member States where protection is sought. For a European patent to be validated in a territory of a Member State, national law may require that the patent proprietor files a translation of the European patent into the official language of that Member State. In order to reduce the costs caused by validation requirements, in 2000 the EPC Contracting States adopted the "London Agreement" which is currently in force in ten EU Member States. The London Agreement is an optional scheme and therefore results in differences in the translation regimes in the EU Member States. Therefore, the current patent system in the EU, in particular in terms of translation requirements, involves very high costs and complexity. A European patent validated in 13 countries costs as much as 20 000 EUR, of which nearly 14 000 EUR arises from translations alone. This makes a European patent more than 10 times more expensive than a US patent costing about 1 850 EUR. The high costs in Europe would be considerably reduced with an EU patent having cost-effective, legally-secure and simplified translation arrangements.

Under this proposal, processing fees for the EU patent covering all 27 Member States would be less than 6 200 EUR, with only about 10% due to translations. By improving accessibility to patent protection, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and public research organisations, an affordable EU patent should be an important element in stimulating innovation and competitiveness in the EU.

In December 2009, the Council adopted conclusions on an "Enhanced patent system for Europe" and a general approach on the proposal for a Regulation on the EU Patent. The Council conclusions affirm the need for a Regulation to cover the translation arrangements, which should come into force together with the Regulation on the EU patent. Furthermore, in the Europe 2020 strategy the Commission, as part of the Flagship Initiative "Innovation Union", reaffirms its commitment to working towards the creation of a single EU patent.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT : the proposal is accompanied by an impact assessment which compares the economic impact of four options:

• Option 1: an EU patent system in English only;
• Option 2: an EU patent processed, granted and published in one of the three official languages of the European Patent Office with claims translated into the other two official languages;
• Option 3: an EU patent processed, granted and published as in option 2, but with claims translated into the other four most commonly spoken EU official languages; and
• Option 4: an EU patent processed, granted and published as in options 2 and 3, but with claims translated into all EU languages.

The analysis carried out in the impact assessment has demonstrated that Option 2 is the preferable option as it maintains the linguistic regime of the well-functioning system of the EPO and implies only minimum translation costs.

LEGAL BASE: second paragraph of Article 118(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.

CONTENT: the draft Regulation establishes the provisions on the translation arrangements applicable to a European Union patent.

The main provisions are as follows:

Publication of the EU patent specification: after the publication of the EU patent specification in accordance with Article 14, paragraph 6, of the Convention on the Grant of the European Patents of 5 October 1973, as amended ("EPC"), no further translations are required. The text of the EU patent in the official language of the European Patent Office referred to as the language of the proceedings in Article 14, paragraph 3, of the EPC shall be the authentic text.

Article 14(6) EPC provides that specifications of European patents are published in the language of the proceedings (one of the three EPO official languages in which the application for the patent has been filed - English, French or German) and includes translations of the claims in the other two official languages of the EPO. This minimum requirement established in the EPC will also apply to EU patents, but no further translations after the grant of the EU patent will be required.

This requirement is identical with the Commission's original proposal for a Community patent Regulation in August 2000 and builds on the existing system of official languages at the EPO and the use of languages by the majority of applicants. This solution is likely to have a positive impact on all users of the patent system in Europe by achieving a considerable reduction in translation costs.

Translation in case of a dispute: in the case of a dispute relating to an EU patent, the patent proprietor shall provide at the request and the choice of an alleged infringer, a full translation of the patent into an official language of the Member State in which either the alleged infringement took place or in which the alleged infringer is domiciled. In the case of a dispute relating to an EU patent, the patent proprietor shall provide at the request of the competent court in the EU in the course of legal proceedings, a full translation of the patent into the language of the proceedings of the court. The cost of the translation shall be borne by the patent proprietor.

Report on the implementation of this Regulation: within five years, the Commission shall present to the Council a report on the operation of the translation arrangements for the EU patent and where necessary make proposals for amending this Regulation.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS : the proposal has no impact on the EU budget.

PURPOSE: to set out the translation arrangements of the EU patent.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.

BACKGROUND: patent protection is currently provided by national patents granted by Member States or by European patents granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) under the European Patent Convention (EPC). When a European patent is granted, it must be validated in Member States where protection is sought. For a European patent to be validated in a territory of a Member State, national law may require that the patent proprietor files a translation of the European patent into the official language of that Member State. In order to reduce the costs caused by validation requirements, in 2000 the EPC Contracting States adopted the "London Agreement" which is currently in force in ten EU Member States. The London Agreement is an optional scheme and therefore results in differences in the translation regimes in the EU Member States. Therefore, the current patent system in the EU, in particular in terms of translation requirements, involves very high costs and complexity. A European patent validated in 13 countries costs as much as 20 000 EUR, of which nearly 14 000 EUR arises from translations alone. This makes a European patent more than 10 times more expensive than a US patent costing about 1 850 EUR. The high costs in Europe would be considerably reduced with an EU patent having cost-effective, legally-secure and simplified translation arrangements.

Under this proposal, processing fees for the EU patent covering all 27 Member States would be less than 6 200 EUR, with only about 10% due to translations. By improving accessibility to patent protection, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and public research organisations, an affordable EU patent should be an important element in stimulating innovation and competitiveness in the EU.

In December 2009, the Council adopted conclusions on an "Enhanced patent system for Europe" and a general approach on the proposal for a Regulation on the EU Patent. The Council conclusions affirm the need for a Regulation to cover the translation arrangements, which should come into force together with the Regulation on the EU patent. Furthermore, in the Europe 2020 strategy the Commission, as part of the Flagship Initiative "Innovation Union", reaffirms its commitment to working towards the creation of a single EU patent.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT : the proposal is accompanied by an impact assessment which compares the economic impact of four options:

• Option 1: an EU patent system in English only;
• Option 2: an EU patent processed, granted and published in one of the three official languages of the European Patent Office with claims translated into the other two official languages;
• Option 3: an EU patent processed, granted and published as in option 2, but with claims translated into the other four most commonly spoken EU official languages; and
• Option 4: an EU patent processed, granted and published as in options 2 and 3, but with claims translated into all EU languages.

The analysis carried out in the impact assessment has demonstrated that Option 2 is the preferable option as it maintains the linguistic regime of the well-functioning system of the EPO and implies only minimum translation costs.

LEGAL BASE: second paragraph of Article 118(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.

CONTENT: the draft Regulation establishes the provisions on the translation arrangements applicable to a European Union patent.

The main provisions are as follows:

Publication of the EU patent specification: after the publication of the EU patent specification in accordance with Article 14, paragraph 6, of the Convention on the Grant of the European Patents of 5 October 1973, as amended ("EPC"), no further translations are required. The text of the EU patent in the official language of the European Patent Office referred to as the language of the proceedings in Article 14, paragraph 3, of the EPC shall be the authentic text.

Article 14(6) EPC provides that specifications of European patents are published in the language of the proceedings (one of the three EPO official languages in which the application for the patent has been filed - English, French or German) and includes translations of the claims in the other two official languages of the EPO. This minimum requirement established in the EPC will also apply to EU patents, but no further translations after the grant of the EU patent will be required.

This requirement is identical with the Commission's original proposal for a Community patent Regulation in August 2000 and builds on the existing system of official languages at the EPO and the use of languages by the majority of applicants. This solution is likely to have a positive impact on all users of the patent system in Europe by achieving a considerable reduction in translation costs.

Translation in case of a dispute: in the case of a dispute relating to an EU patent, the patent proprietor shall provide at the request and the choice of an alleged infringer, a full translation of the patent into an official language of the Member State in which either the alleged infringement took place or in which the alleged infringer is domiciled. In the case of a dispute relating to an EU patent, the patent proprietor shall provide at the request of the competent court in the EU in the course of legal proceedings, a full translation of the patent into the language of the proceedings of the court. The cost of the translation shall be borne by the patent proprietor.

Report on the implementation of this Regulation: within five years, the Commission shall present to the Council a report on the operation of the translation arrangements for the EU patent and where necessary make proposals for amending this Regulation.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS : the proposal has no impact on the EU budget.

PURPOSE: to set out the translation arrangements of the EU patent.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.

BACKGROUND: patent protection is currently provided by national patents granted by Member States or by European patents granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) under the European Patent Convention (EPC). When a European patent is granted, it must be validated in Member States where protection is sought. For a European patent to be validated in a territory of a Member State, national law may require that the patent proprietor files a translation of the European patent into the official language of that Member State. In order to reduce the costs caused by validation requirements, in 2000 the EPC Contracting States adopted the "London Agreement" which is currently in force in ten EU Member States. The London Agreement is an optional scheme and therefore results in differences in the translation regimes in the EU Member States. Therefore, the current patent system in the EU, in particular in terms of translation requirements, involves very high costs and complexity. A European patent validated in 13 countries costs as much as 20 000 EUR, of which nearly 14 000 EUR arises from translations alone. This makes a European patent more than 10 times more expensive than a US patent costing about 1 850 EUR. The high costs in Europe would be considerably reduced with an EU patent having cost-effective, legally-secure and simplified translation arrangements.

Under this proposal, processing fees for the EU patent covering all 27 Member States would be less than 6 200 EUR, with only about 10% due to translations. By improving accessibility to patent protection, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and public research organisations, an affordable EU patent should be an important element in stimulating innovation and competitiveness in the EU.

In December 2009, the Council adopted conclusions on an "Enhanced patent system for Europe" and a general approach on the proposal for a Regulation on the EU Patent. The Council conclusions affirm the need for a Regulation to cover the translation arrangements, which should come into force together with the Regulation on the EU patent. Furthermore, in the Europe 2020 strategy the Commission, as part of the Flagship Initiative "Innovation Union", reaffirms its commitment to working towards the creation of a single EU patent.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT : the proposal is accompanied by an impact assessment which compares the economic impact of four options:

• Option 1: an EU patent system in English only;
• Option 2: an EU patent processed, granted and published in one of the three official languages of the European Patent Office with claims translated into the other two official languages;
• Option 3: an EU patent processed, granted and published as in option 2, but with claims translated into the other four most commonly spoken EU official languages; and
• Option 4: an EU patent processed, granted and published as in options 2 and 3, but with claims translated into all EU languages.

The analysis carried out in the impact assessment has demonstrated that Option 2 is the preferable option as it maintains the linguistic regime of the well-functioning system of the EPO and implies only minimum translation costs.

LEGAL BASE: second paragraph of Article 118(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.

CONTENT: the draft Regulation establishes the provisions on the translation arrangements applicable to a European Union patent.

The main provisions are as follows:

Publication of the EU patent specification: after the publication of the EU patent specification in accordance with Article 14, paragraph 6, of the Convention on the Grant of the European Patents of 5 October 1973, as amended ("EPC"), no further translations are required. The text of the EU patent in the official language of the European Patent Office referred to as the language of the proceedings in Article 14, paragraph 3, of the EPC shall be the authentic text.

Article 14(6) EPC provides that specifications of European patents are published in the language of the proceedings (one of the three EPO official languages in which the application for the patent has been filed - English, French or German) and includes translations of the claims in the other two official languages of the EPO. This minimum requirement established in the EPC will also apply to EU patents, but no further translations after the grant of the EU patent will be required.

This requirement is identical with the Commission's original proposal for a Community patent Regulation in August 2000 and builds on the existing system of official languages at the EPO and the use of languages by the majority of applicants. This solution is likely to have a positive impact on all users of the patent system in Europe by achieving a considerable reduction in translation costs.

Translation in case of a dispute: in the case of a dispute relating to an EU patent, the patent proprietor shall provide at the request and the choice of an alleged infringer, a full translation of the patent into an official language of the Member State in which either the alleged infringement took place or in which the alleged infringer is domiciled. In the case of a dispute relating to an EU patent, the patent proprietor shall provide at the request of the competent court in the EU in the course of legal proceedings, a full translation of the patent into the language of the proceedings of the court. The cost of the translation shall be borne by the patent proprietor.

Report on the implementation of this Regulation: within five years, the Commission shall present to the Council a report on the operation of the translation arrangements for the EU patent and where necessary make proposals for amending this Regulation.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS : the proposal has no impact on the EU budget.

PURPOSE: to set out the translation arrangements of the EU patent.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.

BACKGROUND: patent protection is currently provided by national patents granted by Member States or by European patents granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) under the European Patent Convention (EPC). When a European patent is granted, it must be validated in Member States where protection is sought. For a European patent to be validated in a territory of a Member State, national law may require that the patent proprietor files a translation of the European patent into the official language of that Member State. In order to reduce the costs caused by validation requirements, in 2000 the EPC Contracting States adopted the "London Agreement" which is currently in force in ten EU Member States. The London Agreement is an optional scheme and therefore results in differences in the translation regimes in the EU Member States. Therefore, the current patent system in the EU, in particular in terms of translation requirements, involves very high costs and complexity. A European patent validated in 13 countries costs as much as 20 000 EUR, of which nearly 14 000 EUR arises from translations alone. This makes a European patent more than 10 times more expensive than a US patent costing about 1 850 EUR. The high costs in Europe would be considerably reduced with an EU patent having cost-effective, legally-secure and simplified translation arrangements.

Under this proposal, processing fees for the EU patent covering all 27 Member States would be less than 6 200 EUR, with only about 10% due to translations. By improving accessibility to patent protection, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and public research organisations, an affordable EU patent should be an important element in stimulating innovation and competitiveness in the EU.

In December 2009, the Council adopted conclusions on an "Enhanced patent system for Europe" and a general approach on the proposal for a Regulation on the EU Patent. The Council conclusions affirm the need for a Regulation to cover the translation arrangements, which should come into force together with the Regulation on the EU patent. Furthermore, in the Europe 2020 strategy the Commission, as part of the Flagship Initiative "Innovation Union", reaffirms its commitment to working towards the creation of a single EU patent.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT : the proposal is accompanied by an impact assessment which compares the economic impact of four options:

• Option 1: an EU patent system in English only;
• Option 2: an EU patent processed, granted and published in one of the three official languages of the European Patent Office with claims translated into the other two official languages;
• Option 3: an EU patent processed, granted and published as in option 2, but with claims translated into the other four most commonly spoken EU official languages; and
• Option 4: an EU patent processed, granted and published as in options 2 and 3, but with claims translated into all EU languages.

The analysis carried out in the impact assessment has demonstrated that Option 2 is the preferable option as it maintains the linguistic regime of the well-functioning system of the EPO and implies only minimum translation costs.

LEGAL BASE: second paragraph of Article 118(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.

CONTENT: the draft Regulation establishes the provisions on the translation arrangements applicable to a European Union patent.

The main provisions are as follows:

Publication of the EU patent specification: after the publication of the EU patent specification in accordance with Article 14, paragraph 6, of the Convention on the Grant of the European Patents of 5 October 1973, as amended ("EPC"), no further translations are required. The text of the EU patent in the official language of the European Patent Office referred to as the language of the proceedings in Article 14, paragraph 3, of the EPC shall be the authentic text.

Article 14(6) EPC provides that specifications of European patents are published in the language of the proceedings (one of the three EPO official languages in which the application for the patent has been filed - English, French or German) and includes translations of the claims in the other two official languages of the EPO. This minimum requirement established in the EPC will also apply to EU patents, but no further translations after the grant of the EU patent will be required.

This requirement is identical with the Commission's original proposal for a Community patent Regulation in August 2000 and builds on the existing system of official languages at the EPO and the use of languages by the majority of applicants. This solution is likely to have a positive impact on all users of the patent system in Europe by achieving a considerable reduction in translation costs.

Translation in case of a dispute: in the case of a dispute relating to an EU patent, the patent proprietor shall provide at the request and the choice of an alleged infringer, a full translation of the patent into an official language of the Member State in which either the alleged infringement took place or in which the alleged infringer is domiciled. In the case of a dispute relating to an EU patent, the patent proprietor shall provide at the request of the competent court in the EU in the course of legal proceedings, a full translation of the patent into the language of the proceedings of the court. The cost of the translation shall be borne by the patent proprietor.

Report on the implementation of this Regulation: within five years, the Commission shall present to the Council a report on the operation of the translation arrangements for the EU patent and where necessary make proposals for amending this Regulation.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS : the proposal has no impact on the EU budget.

Meeting in public, the Council held a policy debate on a draft regulation aimed at establishing translation arrangements for a future EU patent system.

The Belgian Presidency put forward a compromise proposal which aims to take into account the different concerns expressed by EU delegations during previous discussions.

At the end of the debate, the Presidency made the following statement:

"We have come a long way since these negotiations began. Most delegations have shown greater flexibility than ever before, because the Council understands the importance of securing an EU patent system, especially in the current economic situation, where we have to stimulate innovation and employment. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those delegations who have made efforts and shown flexibility to bring us this far. We have left no stone unturned. However, in spite of the progress made, we have fallen short of unanimity by a small margin. The Presidency will now reflect on how to capitalise on the momentum that delegations have given us".

The subject was last discussed by the Competitiveness Council on 11 October, on the basis of a previous compromise proposal.

The draft regulationis aimed at setting up translation arrangements for the EU patent that are:

• cost-effective, by reducing costs to ensure accessibility to patent protection;
• simplified, by reducing the administrative burden and complexity for the users; and that
• ensure legal certainty, by avoiding uncertainty caused by translations having legal effect.

The EU patent, providing protection throughout the EU, is viewed as necessary for the completion of the internal market for innovative products. The complexity and high costs of the validation process for European patents give rise to a fragmented system in the EU, which is a major obstacle for innovative companies and therefore has a negative impact on the functioning of the internal market.