Reforming the Competitiveness Council, restructuring the European Commission, reforming the WTO are some of the key proposals made by France Industrie, the organisation representing French industry, in its manifesto published ahead of the European elections.
For the organisation, many measures need to be taken, starting with building an industrial strategy around the key sectors for EU independence (battery, connected and autonomous mobility, nanotechnology, etc.).
In his view, European governance must be reviewed and, in particular, the role of the Competitiveness Council must be strengthened to give it a transversal dimension and make the Commissioner for Industry a Vice-President of the European Commission. It also proposes to establish a permanent dialogue between industry and the European institutions, instead of the "European Industry Day".
R&D is a crucial factor in ensuring the competitiveness of European industry, and France Industrie therefore calls for an increase in the budget for the Horizon Europe Framework Programme and InvestEU. It also calls for an adaptation of the ETS emissions trading mechanism.
Ensuring fair competition is also a key challenge for the organisation, which wants to see competition rules relaxed, a truly "dissuasive" trade defence arsenal put in place, and a thorough reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
To consult the text: http://bit.ly/30yrRM8. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)