The European Commission indicated its wish to see more cross-border cooperation and multinational projects in the national recovery and resilience plans, during an informal videoconference in the framework of the High Level Working Group on Competitiveness and Growth, on Thursday 4 February.
Addressing the issue of drawing up recovery plans, the European Commission recommends that the Member States join forces in cross-border projects in order to create real European added value. From the outset, the Commission had imagined potential areas for cooperation, such as market surveillance, hydrogen, cloud computing and mobility.
The institution noted that these projects were missing from the national plans seen so far. It therefore invited the delegations to present cooperation projects that are sufficiently advanced in the framework of the Recovery Plan. In general, the institution regretted the slow progress in the preparation of national plans.
On the side of the Member States, some have indicated that the deadlines were too short under the Recovery Plan to include cross-border projects, stressing the administrative burdens that such multinational projects entail compared with purely national projects. The issue of launching new important projects of common European interest (IPCEI) was also mentioned.
Member States have until 30 April to send in their national plans.
Resilience of the Internal Market
The updating of the industrial strategy (see EUROPE 12650/6) and the resilience of the Single Market were also discussed. The European Commission is said to be considering a number of schemes in relation to the lessons learned from the coronavirus crisis, in particular to safeguard the free movement of goods and services.
Several proposals have been presented, such as the development of strengthened governance tools with the creation of a Single Market Emergency Committee. The institution is also considering emergency notification procedures for measures limiting exports or restricting the freedom to provide services.
An emergency protocol is being studied which would set criteria and thresholds for introducing such measures for services, but also for posted workers. The European Commission is looking into digital solutions to facilitate the exchange of information with national authorities in this respect.
The institution is also considering measures to facilitate the availability of key products (including for conformity assessment) and measures to assist SMEs, including in the area of public procurement.
Here, several Member States, while welcoming the measures outlined, have reportedly indicated that it would be more effective to focus on existing tools before reinventing the wheel. Some Member States are said to have stressed the importance of the principle of mutual recognition. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)