On Monday 8 December, EU Ministers of the Internal Market and Industry will continue their discussions on the follow-up to the reports by Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta. They will address the subjects of simplification, barriers in the single market, e-commerce and investment in green technologies in particular. Other equally political subjects were added to the ‘miscellaneous’ items: support for heavy industry, Chinese trade restrictions, European preference and the 28th regime for companies.
Simplification. Now a recurring theme in almost all EU Council formations, legislative simplification will be debated by the ministers, from the angle of research, new tools or new methods for reducing bureaucracy.
The Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU wants to ask ministers about tools for reducing the administrative burden during legislative deliberations and the relevance of cost/benefit analyses.
Single Market. The Member States will then discuss a slightly more thorny issue, namely the reduction of barriers in the internal market and, therefore, the commitment of the Member States in this direction.
In a preparatory note, the Danish Presidency put forward concrete suggestions on the method and asked the Member States to tackle the problem head on (see EUROPE 13766/12).
“Everyone needs to realise that if ministers don’t report progress on a regular basis, there won’t be enough action taken”, said one diplomat.
E-commerce. At the request of the French delegation, the ministers will hold a debate on the conformity and market surveillance of products sold online.
They will be asked to give their opinion on two points: - the need for additional measures to protect consumers and ensure a level playing field; - possible measures or new legislation to improve coordination and strengthen enforcement.
The issue was also addressed from the angle of the Digital Services Act (DSA) at the Telecommunications Council on Friday 5 December (see other news), and will be addressed from the customs angle at the EU ‘Economic and Financial Affairs’ Council on Friday 12 December (see EUROPE 13751/13).
Investment in innovative green technologies. To frame the lunch discussion, the Danish Presidency has also prepared a note on the need to stimulate investment in green technologies. It proposes focusing on the most strategic projects, simplifying rules and procedures, and strengthening public administrations so that they can manage cross-border projects effectively.
Heavy industry. Italy, Poland, France and Spain have asked to present their priorities for supporting the energy-intensive industry. These delegations also want to draw attention to the urgent need for action to support competitiveness in all sectors.
European preference. On Monday, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Sweden and Slovakia will be taking the floor regarding the concept of European preference, which will be taken up in various European initiatives over the next few years.
28th regime. In turn, the Irish delegation is expected to present a briefing note on the idea of moving initially towards a 28th regime for companies to enable them to benefit from a single set of EU-wide rules.
Other ‘miscellaneous’ items included information on: - the European Competitiveness Fund; - the recent RESourceEU Commission initiative (see EUROPE 13765/6); - the fate of the Dutch semiconductor company Nexperia (see EUROPE 13756A10); - disruption caused by drones and balloons sent by third countries; - or “a single market based on commercial data”. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal and Anne Damiani)