POST COUNCIL WRITTEN STATEMENT: EU
COMPETITIVENESS COUNCIL 24-25 SEPTEMBER 2009
Letter to the Chairman from the Minister for
Trade, Investment and Small Businesses, Department for Business
Innovation and Skills (Lord Davies of Abersoch)
The EU Competitiveness Council took place in Brussels
on 24-25 September 2009. Andy Lebrecht, the UK's Deputy Permanent
Representative to the EU represented the UK. The following is
a summary of what took place.
The main Internal Market and Industry agenda items
on 24th September were on reviewing Community innovation
policy, making the EU internal market work better, a discussion
on progress of implementation of the EU Services Directive and
a debate on a Commission proposal to simplify accounting requirements
for micro-entities (companies with no more than ten employees).
On EU innovation policy, the Commission emphasised
the need for the EU to transform into a knowledge-based and low
carbon society. The UK representative stressed the role of open
markets and the need for a forward looking innovation policy.
The Commisson's conclusions on making the internal market work
better were adopted, with recognition that all Member States needed
to be committed to this. A lunchtime discussion on the EU Services
Directive stressed the importance of all Member States achieving
implementation by the end of the year.
In the afternoon there was a discussion on whether
to allow greater flexibility in the accounting standards for micro-entities.
The UK representative made a strong intervention in support and
the Presidency concluded that further discussion was needed in
the Council working group, and that this may return to the December
Competitiveness Council.
On the Any Other Business points, the UK representative
agreed on better regulation, a proposal to harmonise reporting
of consumer complaints, enforcement of the consumer acquis, the
High Level Group on agro foods, a Memorandum of Understanding
with Brazil and a report on a Safe Products conference.
On the second day there was support for the presidency's
view that EU R&D needed to focus on 'grand
challenges', such as climate change and ageing. Member States
discussed the need to improve the coordination and structures
in place for policy and funding schemes at both a national and
European level and Ministers supported the recently
set-up Joint Programming process, which aims to improve
the coordination of national research to tackle societal challenges.
There was also a debate on the current EU Lisbon Strategy target
of 3% of GDP for R & D.
Any Other Business items included updates on Joint
Programming and international R&D cooperation. Over a private
lunch, Ministers discussed the review of the European Research
Council. The EU Commission provided an update on ITER, the nuclear
fusion research facility due to be built in the south of
France.
4 October 2009
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