Member States' ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) are reported to have taken note of the agenda for the next Competitiveness Council on Wednesday 14 November, which will include a partial general approach on the Regulation establishing a programme for the single market and another on the Regulation on general motor vehicle safety.
The Regulation on the Single Market Programme would not pose a significant problem for national delegations. This will be a partial agreement, as the budgetary points are linked to the negotiations on the next multiannual financial framework (see other news). As a reminder, the European Commission has proposed a programme bringing together 6 existing programmes, which will be endowed with 4 billion euros (see EUROPE 12036).
On the regulation on the general safety of motor vehicles, a general approach is also provided for. Here, the Member States broadly supported the European Commission's proposals (see EUROPE 12022), in accordance with the latest general approach consulted by EUROPE.
The only major change point is the Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) system. The Commission proposed a system that would allow the accelerator pedal to return when the driver exceeds the limit. The Council deletes this possibility and proposes to replace it with a visual alert system.
Most of the technical specificities of the different technologies are left to the discretion of UNECE, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
Finally, delegations are also expected to adopt further conclusions on the future of the European industrial strategy for 2030 and beyond. The draft conclusions are public and can be consulted at: https://bit.ly/2K3BjiV. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)