Strasbourg, 25/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - The Commissioner for industry and competition policy in the EU believes that a solid framework for the European economy is necessary but that its rules could be revised.
In an interview with EUROPE during the European Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg on Tuesday 23 October, Antonio Tajani did not oppose a review of the rules on state aid, which has been called for in several EU countries and, on the contrary, stated that, “my colleague (at competition, Ed), Joaquín Almunia, is currently examining state aid reform and we will discuss its proposals at the College of Commissioners. My personal opinion is as follows, I think that there are rules on competition that date back to 1957, when Europe was at the centre of competition and there were problems between the different member states. Today, competition is at a global level, which is why I believe we need to think about it and see what we need to do to enhance the competitiveness of the European system. Firm rules are needed for opening up the internal market to the whole world because competition helps strengthen the real economy. Rules are needed, however, to help us be competitive at a global level”. Mr Tajani concluded that, “competition is a solid construction but sometimes we need to know how to revise the rules for its application if we want to defend the principle and not the rules underpinning competition”. (EH/transl.fl)