The price of freedom

Although the mission of the European Union government is to create a single competitive cross-border environment, the sea of regulation surrounding this is causing problems for the financial services industry. There are few EU financial services companies with more than a foothold outside their traditional geographies. Mortgages, loans and pensions are solely the preserve of local providers. So, what prevents world class banks and insurers operating across Europe, providing identical services from Poland to Portugal? This would surely bring down prices and increase choices for everyone....