At their meeting in Brussels on 29 September, the EU’s industry ministers will review the three key issues for boosting competitiveness in Europe: the future ‘European Competitiveness Fund’ (ECF), the single market strategy and legislative simplification.
The Danish Presidency of the EU Council is laying the foundations for discussions on the European Competitiveness Fund in a preparatory note to the Member States, two months after the European Commission proposed a €410 billion fund (see EUROPE 13682/6).
It is crucial that the operation of the ECF is understandable and that investors can see it as a success, stresses the Danish Presidency. Co-legislators must therefore simplify its governance and administration and find the perfect balance between public aid instruments and tools to encourage private investment, according to the authors of the note.
In order to achieve such a result, an initial discussion is suggested for the ministers of the EU27 to: - identify the success criteria that are important to investors; - reflect on how the ECF’s financial instruments can really meet the EU's industrial policy objectives.
On the subject of legislative simplification, the ministers will review the work in progress on the various simplification laws known as ‘omnibus’ legislation.
They will be discussing the subject more broadly, in view of the objective of reducing the administrative burden on businesses by 25%. The European Commission has prepared a progress report which it will present to the ministers.
See the note from the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU: https://aeur.eu/f/ifn (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)