Brussels, 13/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - At an informal meeting of the Competitiveness Council in Athens on Monday 12 May, the European ministers for industry reiterated the need to include the issue of competitiveness in all relevant European policies. The Greek Presidency, represented by its minister for competitiveness, Kostas Hatzidakis, and the forthcoming Italian Presidency, represented by the Italian minister for economic development, Federica Guidi, put pressure on the next Commission to work more horizontally and cut Community red tape.
Summing up the work of the informal session of the Competitiveness Council on Industrie to the press, Hatzidakis did not beat about the bush when highlighting the shortcomings of the European policy in this area over the last decade. “For years, the EU has neglected its industry and is now paying the price: deindustrialisation, fewer jobs, fewer investments, competitiveness deficit. Since 2008, we have lost 4 million jobs in European industry and its contribution to GDP has fallen from 18% to 15%”, he explained. “This is why we must completely overhaul our policies which impact upon industry to support industrial competitiveness and identify more helpful measures to fight unemployment”, Hatzidakis added.
During their talks on the outlines of a common framework more favourable for industry, picking up the threads of the debates of the Competitiveness Council of 20 February (see EUROPE 11023) and the decisions of the European Spring Council of 20-21 March (see EUROPE 11042), the industry ministers agreed on four key conclusions, which were summed up by the Greek Presidency: - high energy prices, which particularly compromise energy-intensive industries, require an immediate response at European level; - the EU must guarantee a more conducive business environment by cutting red tape. Although the member states can undertake certain initiatives, some are also necessary on an EU scale to reduce red tape at that level. “We need a 'fitness check' to reduce the administrative burden linked to European legislation”, Hatzidakis stressed; - the EU must do more to support innovation, smart specialisation and major projects of common European interest, such as key generic technologies; - industrial competitiveness must be included as a priority in all policy areas of the EU. “In Greece, we have set in place a joint ministerial committee to ensure that there are no conflicts between policies”, Hatzidakis said.
On Monday, and in the absence of European Commissioner for Industry Antonio Tajani, who was campaigning for the European elections, the ministerial debates laid emphasis on the best way to go about embedding competitiveness in EU policies. “The next European Commission has to work in a coordinated and horizontal way, mainstreaming its policies with a view to reviving European industry, lifting bureaucratic barriers and improving legislation”, Hatzidakis insisted.
On this issue, the Greek Presidency also invited the Italian minister for economic development Federica Guidi, who will steer the work of the Competitiveness Council over the second half of the year, to list her recommendations for policy mainstreaming. “In order to remain competitive, the EU must pay increased attention to the manufacturing industry. The emphasis must be laid on SMEs, trying to support their integration in global value chains as much as possible. Obviously, industrial competitiveness is also based on innovation and knowledge. As the Italian Presidency, we will try to support industry as much as we can on the basis of the strategy for the 'industrial renaissance' proposed by the Commission, and on the conclusions of the European Council”, Guidi told the press. “Through a horizontal approach, we will assess the impact of all of the Council's major decisions on all micro-economic aspects of the manufacturing sector the EU. One of the first key points is to strike a balance between the 2030 framework for energy and climate and its costs to the competitiveness of our industries”, Guidi concluded. (EH)