Brussels, 23/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 26 May, the Competitiveness Council will adopt a partial general approach on business secrecy, and on the obligation to fit the eCall reception system in cars, to automatically send an emergency call in the event of a collision. Many other areas will also be discussed by the ministers in what promises to be a densely packed day of meetings (see other articles).
Business secrecy. The general approach for a new legislative framework for the protection of business secrecy is expected to have the support of a sizeable majority of the European ministers on Monday, according to a diplomatic source. This general approach is unlikely to change much from the version which was put to Coreper earlier this month (see EUROPE 11080 for details), although the ministers will hold a debate. The approach will be used as a negotiation mandate with the European Parliament ahead of an institutional trialogue. Parliament, on the other hand, has yet to go to work on this directive.
eCall. The Competitiveness Council is also expected to adopt a general approach on a regulation obliging car producers to fit the eCall reception system in new passenger vehicles in the next three years (36 months after the text has been adopted), that is, in around 2017 rather the 2015 as teh Commission had wanted. Previously, Parliament and Council adopted the obligation for the member states to make the eCall emergency call infrastructure operational via the number 112 by October 2017, or six months before the requirements on the reception system or by October 2017 at ther latest. Negotiation still has to take place with the European Parliament on the installation of this system and its technical specifications.
Trademarks, package travel. The Greek Presidency will also present the Competitiveness Council with various reports on the state of progress in the work being carried out in this area. Specifically, there will be one report on the reform of the trademark system, a second on the update of the package travel directive (see EUROPE 11040) and a final one on the unitary patent protection system and the ratification by the member states of the unified case-law.
Patent. Danish citizens will vote on this subject by referendum on the eve of the Council and the result of this vote may be discussed at that meeting. European Commissioner for the Internal Market Michel Barnier will attend the Council and will stress to the European delegations the importance of this ratification process. He will also make a proposal to the ministers to open a substantive debate on the launch of the unitary patent at the first Competitiveness Council after the summer break.
Raw materials. As regards industry, the Commission will report to the Council on progress in the implementation of the initiative on raw materials, which was adopted in 2008 and revised in 2011. The European Executive will also present a new list of “critical raw materials” (those which are essential to the economy and which carry a risk of shortage of supply) which it will adopt on the same day. This list, which has featured 14 elements since 2011, will now be extended to include six new raw materials.
Frontrunners initiative. Lastly, under any other business and on the basis of a Dutch suggestion, an information document will be presented on the Frontrunners initiative. This initiative aims to set in place reinforced cooperation between the liberal states to improve the single market. These states are Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Lithuania, Latvia and Malta, with the first four of those delegations being behind the initiative. It is anticipated that the results of the initiative will be presented in December of this year. (MD)