COMPETITIVENESS COUNCIL, FEBRUARY 2007
Letter from Rt Hon Ian McCartney MP, Minister
for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, Department of Trade
and Industry/Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the Chairman
I am writing to provide information on the Competitiveness
Council in Brussels on 19 February 2007. Michael Glos, German
Federal Minister of Economics and Technologies will chair the
Council.
There will be a presentation by the Commission
followed by an exchange of views, which will be in public. The
Council will discuss the Commission's proposal that the Spring
European Council endorse a 25% target for reducing administrative
burdens from EU legislation, as well as the scope for similar
action covering national law in the member states. Improving the
EU regulatory framework is a priority for the Presidency and,
as such, it will wish to secure an agreement on administrative
burdens reduction which will produce real benefits for business.
The UK supports this.
The next item on the agenda is on the Commission's
Communication on a Competitive Automotive Regulatory Framework
for the 21st Century (CARS 21). There will be a presentation from
the Commission followed by an exchange of views. The UK is keen
to ensure that an integrated approach is taken to the automotive
sector and will be making this point at the Council.
There will follow an agenda item on the Lisbon
Economic Reform process and, specifically, the contribution of
the Competitiveness Council to the Spring European Council (the
"Key Issues Paper"). There will be a presentation from
the Commission on its 2006 Annual Progress Report, an orientation
debate, and adoption of the Key Issues Paper. The Key Issues Paper
covers five broad areas—the Single Market, Better Regulation,
Research and Innovation, Unlocking business potential, and External
trade policy. It is in line with UK priorities for the Competitiveness
Council.
Four items will be taken under Any Other Business:
1. Communication from the Commission concerning
the Free Movement of Goods—Revision of the New Approach
and Mutual Recognition in the non-harmonised area (Information
from the Commission).
2. Green Paper for the Revision of the Community
"Acquis" in the area of consumer protection (Information
from the Commission).
3. Proposal for a Directive on the exercise of
voting rights by shareholders of companies having their registered
office in a Member State and whose shares are admitted to trading
on a regular market (Information from the Presidency on the state
of play).
4. Internal Market Scoreboard (Information from
the Commission).
There will be a lunchtime discussion item on
"Competitiveness, Climate Change, and Secure Energy Supply".
Securing EU agreement for action to tackle climate change is a
key priority for the UK. The UK welcomes the discussion of this
topic at the Competitiveness Council.
14 February 2007
|
