No decisions will be taken at the Competitive Council on Thursday 29 September, where ministers will discuss two big issues, the collaborative economy and the steel industry. Intellectual property in Europe will also be examined with a fine toothcomb.
As has become a tradition since the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2015 (see EUROPE 11401), the Council will start at around 10.00am with an exchange of views about the competitiveness check-up unveiled by the European Commission, which will focus on access to finance for European companies (scale-ups) of high technological value and huge growth potential.
This will be followed at around 11.00am with a debate on the European agenda for the collaborative economy presented by the European Commission in June (see EUROPE 11564) – the first at ministerial level, a source tells EUROPE. The ministers will rely on a three-pronged Slovak Presidency document: - the member states’ viewpoint on facilitating balanced development of the collaborative economy; - distinguishing between occasional peer-to-peer services and professional services; - and how to promote balanced development at European level. The challenges of the collaborative economy are large-scale with the rise of leading players like Uber and AirBnB which, through their unusual business model, are a threat to traditional sectors (see EUROPE 11629).
Many questions remain hanging. The very definition of the collaborative economy is vague. Then there is the question of the legal status of occasional private service provides and owners of platforms that needs to be settled, and it is the same for social policy issues, the rights of staff members, tax questions and insurance. One of the biggest problems is the sectoral differences among member states and the scale of action available to the EU in this domain.
New assessment of steel industry
Another important point on the agenda which was discussed at a special meeting in November 2015 (see EUROPE 11428) and at the February Competitiveness Council (see EUROPE 11501) is the situation facing the steel industry in Europe. The ministers will focus in the afternoon on the impact on the steel industry of European policies and recent decisions, before considering priority action for the future in the light of this. The presidency s awaiting tangible proposals to be rapidly implemented. The question of recognising China as a market economy (see EUROPE 11630) is not on the agenda although a diplomatic source tells us that several member states may talk about the matter.
Several intellectual property issues in the EU will be discussed, such as progress in implementing the unitary European patent; the patentability of plants (see EUROPE 11500), added upon request from the Netherlands; and re-assessing additional protection certificates, as requested by Hungary. A progress report on the unified patent court (see EUROPE 11632) from a European Patent Office committee and the unified patent preparatory committee of 19 September says that implementation of European legislation is progressing well. The preparatory committee is expected to finish its preparatory work in October 2016, when provisional application will begin.
Any other business
The ministers will examine the standardisation package (see EUROPE 11572) that will give rise to the signing of a common initiative. Over lunch, the ministers will examine the construction industry. Upon request from Belgium, with the support of France, two countries facing the closure of key production centres (see EUROPE 11619, 11625), the European Commission will be invited to submit its views on an ambitious European industrial policy. In addition, theCommission will briefly present its strategy for decarbonising transport (see EUROPE 11603). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)