The European Union’s Competitiveness Council will be back in session on Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 September in Brussels, with the first day of discussions devoted to research and the second to the internal market and industry aspects.
On Tuesday, the Research Ministers will therefore be invited to approve conclusions that echo the strategy adopted by the Commission in May on the challenges facing European research and innovation (R&I) policy on the world stage (see EUROPE 12721/25).
In its draft conclusions, the EU Council reaffirms, inter alia, the Union’s commitment to remaining open to international cooperation on R&I, to consolidating its engagement with third countries and to facilitating the global flow of knowledge. On the other hand, it insists on the importance of seeking a level playing field, a “reciprocal openness” that respects the values and interests of the Union.
European Research Area. The Ministers will then continue their discussions on the main ongoing R&I dossier: the implementation of the European Research Area (ERA).
Their last discussion on the subject took place in July, at an informal meeting organised by the Slovenian Presidency of the Council. At the time, the latter committed itself to working towards the adoption of a European R&I “pact” by the EU27 before the end of its mandate (see EUROPE 12765/9).
Horizon Europe: This meeting will also be an opportunity for the Presidency to inform the Ministers about the setting up of “institutionalised European partnerships” - partnerships associating the Commission with private or public partners within the framework of the European research programme, Horizon Europe.
The Commission will also provide an update on third country associations with Horizon Europe. A first important step was taken last week with the adoption of association decisions by two long-standing partners: Iceland and Norway (see EUROPE 12798/9).
On this matter the Commission should note - as it mentions in the support document sent to the ministers ahead of the meeting - that Switzerland is, on the other hand, still “not considered as a candidate for association, at this stage”, an institutional source confirmed to EUROPE.
And no change is to be expected in this respect as long as the negotiations on the framework agreement between Switzerland and the EU remain at a standstill - a situation that worries the European scientific community (see EUROPE 12750/11) as well as certain nations, notably Austria.
To consult the draft conclusions that will be submitted to the Ministers on Tuesday: https://bit.ly/3oc8Uxe
Internal market and industry
The second day, Wednesday 29 September, will be devoted to industry and the internal market. There are no legislative dossiers on the agenda, but there will be two political debates: one on the link between the industrial strategy and the new ‘Fit for 55’ package to reduce CO2 emissions by 2030, and the other on better regulation and the internal market (see EUROPE 12797/2).
The first debate will allow ministers to have a first vision of the industrial issue in relation to the new goals introduced by the new climate change package, “a perception of the perceptions”, our source added. The focus should be on the place of energy-intensive industries and also on sectors that will need to accelerate the transition, such as the automotive sector.
There will also be : - an update on the annual report of the SMET task force, the working group on compliance with single market rules, set up when the industrial strategy was updated in 2020 (see EUROPE 12713/6); - a presentation by the Greek delegation, supported by Italy and Cyprus, to support public investment in innovation; - finally, an update from the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council on the state of play of the ratification of the unitary patent and the Unified Patent Court, since the recent green light from the German side (see EUROPE 12777/6).
The working lunch will focus on improving the functioning of the internal market as well.
This Competitiveness Council shows that it is gradually gaining political power in the constellation of EU Council formations, particularly with the ‘Fit for 55’ package where it plays a transversal role, a European source told us.
For the Greek statement on public investment in innovation: https://bit.ly/3oaQHQx
See the Presidency’s note framing the first debate: https://bit.ly/3EJZhvk
Presidency background note on the second debate: https://bit.ly/3o15wVN (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens and Agathe Cherki)