Traditionally, the Spring European Summit has devoted part of its work to monitoring the economic situation in the European Union and analysing the functioning of the internal market. This will be the case, on Friday 22 March in Brussels, when European leaders are expected to call for the mobilisation of all available European instruments to address "international and technological challenges connected to security and sustainability".
According to a draft copy of the European Summit Conclusions obtained by EUROPE, the 28 will require the following actions: - the presentation by the European Commission by March 2020 of a long-term vision on the industrial future of the EU; - the development by December 2020 by the Commission of an action plan to improve the application of existing rules; - the creation of conditions for a competitive and secure digital economy with particular attention to data access and 5G network security; - the guarantee of fair competition in the market through the pursuit of an "ambitious" trade agenda, protection against "unfair practices by third countries and investments that threaten security and public order", and the guarantee of effective reciprocity in public procurement involving third country companies.
Such actions, particularly those related to network security and investments in the EU by state-supported companies, are connected to the discussions that EU leaders will have on the day before concerning EU relations with China, ahead of the bilateral summit in Brussels on 9 April (see EUROPE 12212/20).
See the draft summit conclusions: http://bit.ly/2HBV6qf. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)