Brussels, 19/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European Council will agree to use the integrated strategy as a basis that was proposed by the European Commission to strengthen the EU's industrial base.
In order to strengthen the EU's industrial competitiveness, which is suffering due to a combination of factors - the most serious crisis since the 1930s, competition from the emerging economies, high energy prices and a common policy accused since 2009 of being too focused on climate priorities - EU leaders have understood that they must rectify the situation. This means redefining the contours of the common framework so that it is more beneficial for the EU's manufacturing sector. The Commission wants to see the contribution to GDP from the EU's manufacturing sector rise to 20%. It is on this that the EU28 must find agreement at their spring summit on 20-21 March, using the framework tabled by the Commission for an industrial renaissance as a basis.
The section of the summit's draft conclusions on this chapter largely picks up the contribution of the Competitiveness Council of 20 February (see EUROPE 11023). “It is necessary to make the overall framework at European level and at national level more beneficial to investment and innovation, as well as to the repatriation of jobs in the manufacturing sector”, the text states (our translation). Some of the stated priorities are well known - better regulation, exploitation of internal market potential, “systematic” recognition in all action areas of the impact assessment on industrial competitiveness of new proposals, support for enterpreneurship and for SMEs through improved access to finance, development of infrastructure, and the mobilisation and rationalisation of all EU funds.
Among the strong messages is the EU28's call to support smart specialisation in all regions of the EU. The European Council will also call for skills to be improved, asking the Commission and member states to remedy, as a priority, the shortfalls in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Increased efforts will also be required from the public and private sectors to promote mobility, education, and professional training. The EU28 will also call for the lost time on patents to be made up by ensuring fast ratification of the agreement on a unified patent jurisdiction and by taking the necessary measures for the entry into force of the EU patent regime by the end of 2014. Lastly, the European Council will highlight the role of key enabling technologies for the take-off of forward-looking sectors of industry, calling for European projects on this to be defined. Particular attention will also have to be paid to the role played by clean technologies as a key cross-cutting element for industrial competitiveness.
On the external level, the EU28 will base their strategy on the continuation of efforts to improve access to third country markets, on exchange programmes for investment and for promoting European and international standards and regulations, and on measures for access to raw materials.
Lastly, the European Council will advocate the coordination of industrial policy with the framework for energy and climate policies and measures to remedy high energy prices. It will return to this chapter during the assessment of the EUROPE 2020 strategy in March 2015. (EH)