Visiting Berlin on Wednesday 13 September, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire spoke at a joint press conference with his German Finance and Economic Affairs counterparts, Christian Lindner and Robert Habeck.
The French minister stressed the need for the European Union to maintain its position as a leader in industry and innovation in the face of competition from China and the United States, and therefore to put a stop to “excessive EU bureaucracy, which is a burden for businesses and industry”.
Following on from Emmanuel Macron’s call for ‘a European regulatory pause’ (see EUROPE 13181/9), Bruno Le Maire has called for an overhaul of European standards, which he believes are too restrictive in terms of competitiveness: “There are standards that are not even applied, and new ones are being created. Let’s look at those that are useful and effective and remove those that are contrary to our interests, including our environmental interests”.
A view shared by Robert Habeck, the German Minister for Economic Affairs: “We are firmly committed to reducing regulations and making procedures lighter, faster and more efficient.
The French minister also welcomed Ursula von der Leyen’s decision to open an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles, saying that the EU must know how to protect its economic and industrial interests. (See other news) (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)