Brussels, 03/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - During the Competitiveness Council on 2 March 2015, the French Minister for the Economy, Emmanuel Macron, called on his counterparts to ensure greater prominence to the role played by the Competitiveness Council in the drawing up of the Juncker investment plan.
The Minister emphasised the “political importance” of the European initiative that seeks to win €315 billion in private investment over a three-year period (see EUROPE 11265). The Minister explained that “the Competitiveness Council should be fully involved in the effective elaboration of the plan… without encroaching on the role of the Ecofin Council”. The Latvian Presidency of the Council is hoping that the Ecofin Council in March will be able to reach a political agreement of principle on the Juncker investment plan.
Different sources concurred that only Italy had supported the French request. Addressing the press, Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska, responsible for the internal market, said that she was in favour of a generally more important role to be played by the Competitiveness Council but did not make any special mention of the investment plan. She said: “Competitiveness is part of the EU's priorities and ministers have to guarantee its inclusion in all policies. We need to follow all the different Council groupings to check whether this aspect is being taken into account”. (Jean Comte)