Ministers responsible for Internal Market and Industry issues will be invited by the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the EU to exchange views on political priorities related to the Recovery Plan: to both respond to the consequences of the Covid-19 crisis and prepare for long-term growth. The meeting will be on Friday 12 June, during an informal meeting by videoconference.
A joint ministerial declaration will be adopted on this occasion, in which European strategic autonomy will be clearly articulated with the need to preserve the European economy.
In its note, as seen by EUROPE, the Presidency forecasts a drop in European GDP of 8.7% for 2020, with a rebound to 5.2% for 2021 and 3.3% in 2022. The Presidency has singled out for discussion the themes of the digital and green transitions as well as the need to strengthen the European Union's "strategic" value chains, in particular by addressing the issue of important projects of common European interest (IPCEI) and the question of ecosystems.
On this occasion, the ministers will adopt a joint declaration in which they welcome the European recovery plan while stressing the importance of guaranteeing the strategic autonomy of the European Union and the principles of an "open" economy.
The provisional version of the joint declaration, as seen by EUROPE, was the subject of discussions between the national delegations during the meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives on Wednesday 10 June, in particular on the question of the link between strategic autonomy and the opening up of the economy.
Several Member States (notably France, Italy and Romania) would have liked to delete the word "open" in conjunction with the notion of "strategic autonomy", as the notion of openness is already expressed with "open economy". But others, such as Finland, Ireland, the Czech Republic or the Netherlands, have insisted on the need to keep the idea of "open" autonomy.
The Croatian Presidency of the Council is said to have suggested a new wording based on a Dutch proposal which stresses both the importance of the principle of an open economy, emphasising that trade must be "free and fair", while ensuring strategic autonomy in key technologies. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)