On Thursday 30 November, the European ministers for competitiveness are expected to reach a political agreement in principle (‘general orientation’) on the proposed regulation on the creation of a single digital portal. They will discuss the future of industrial policy and, in particular, that of the automotive industry. On Friday 1 December, the European research ministers will send out key messages in the framework of the reflection on the post-2020 framework programme for research and innovation.
In May, the Commission proposed helping individuals and businesses to benefit from the single market by allowing them to access - via a single digital portal - national administrative information in their national language and one other European language (see EUROPE 11779). Thirteen administrative procedures (from applying for a birth certificate to registering a vehicle) were initially included.
The list has been modified several times by the member states since then. Procedures to renew identity cards and passports have been removed from its scope of application. This comes as welcome news to France. Germany, however, failed to get its own way over its request to exclude the registration of business activity. The member states have added two new procedures: one on changing the status (personal or professional) of citizens, and the other on the European Health Insurance Card. Furthermore, the Dutch calls to allow member states to withdraw from the future single digital portal in the event of fraud and cyber-attacks has been kept in place.
Once the Council has reached its position on this dossier, inter-institutional negotiations with the European Parliament may begin once it has taken position, as it may do in February 2018.
The ministers will also discuss the Commission’s communication on a renewed industrial policy strategy (see EUROPE 11861). They will adopt conclusions, in which they will call upon the Commission to present an industrial strategy accompanied by an action plan with an eye to the year 2030 (see EUROPE 11910). The Estonian Presidency of the Council has put together a report with specific ideas for specific actions and instruments.
Automotive industry. Over lunch, the ministers will discuss the future of the automotive industry, from the point of view of the challenges of the process of the decarbonisation of the economy, growing international competition and digitisation. The question of diesel engine technology and its phase-out will certainly be discussed by the ministers, a diplomatic source told EUROPE.
Single patent. The ministers will discuss the single patent protection system. They will take stock of the ratification process of the agreement on the unified jurisdiction (see EUROPE 11798).
According to a diplomatic source, the United Kingdom and Germany are currently ratifying, which will certainly be concluded under the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the first half of 2018. There could be good news in February next year, the same source told EUROPE.
Digital. The ‘Competitiveness’ Council will touch briefly on the inter-institutional agreement on unjustified geo-blocking, which was approved by the national ambassadors to the EU on Wednesday 29 November (see EUROPE 11909).
The new regulation requires traders to make their goods and services accessible to all EU consumers without discrimination in terms of access to prices, sales or payment conditions.
The ministers will also take stock of the implementation of the European strategy for a digital single market, which was presented in May 2015 and 13 legislative proposals (out of the 18 presented) of which are still under discussion (see EUROPE 11885).
Finally, the ministers are expected to take note of the agreement to be concluded between the Twenty-Eight by written procedure on the technical standards of the European traceability system and the tobacco product safety mechanism (see EUROPE 11914).
Space. On Friday 1 December, the ministers will focus on space, research and innovation policies.
In the morning, the ministers will discuss the future of the European earth observation programme Copernicus and will adopt specific conclusions (see EUROPE 11913). According to another source, the ministers are expected to discuss the space policy budget post-2020, without putting any figures on it, but calling for more money.
The ministers will also discuss the future of space policy at a session to be attended by the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), Johann Dietrich Wörner. The space industry has already put figures on its budgetary requirements, calling for the space policy budget to be increased from €12 to €20 billion after 2020 (see EUROPE 11882).
Research. Finally, the research ministers will discuss the priorities of the forthcoming framework programme for research and innovation post-2020. They will adopt conclusions calling in particular for a streamlining of modes of financing for research by merging similar instruments (such as ERANETs, EJP Cofund) and providing substantial assistance only to areas identified as priority, according to a draft text of which EUROPE has had sight.
The basis of the discussions will be the 'Lamy' report, presented in July, which proposes to double the budget currently allocated to the ‘Horizon 2020’ programme and for the research policy to be based around priority missions mobilising the scientific community, investors and public authorities (see EUROPE 11821). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens with Sophie Petitjean and Mathieu Bion)