Brussels, 12/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - The battle for the liberalisation of the gas and electricity markets has already begun during a debate that opened Monday morning, in the framework of the Internal Market/Consumer Council, to prepare discussions for the Stockholm Summit on the deepening of the single market. Six delegations pleaded in favour of a rapid liberalisation and five placed emphasis on retaining the principle of "general interest". A broad consensus did, however, emerge on the three question put by the Swedish Presidency (see EUROPE of 10 March, p.9). On the whole, Member states backed the Commission regarding the liberalisation of the services, proposals on the simplification and improvement of the quality of the regulatory framework, and the creation of a task force for the new labour markets. Here are the main guidelines to have emerged during the debate:
Pursuit of the internal market: on the basis of the Commission's annual report on the workings of the goods and capitals market (so-called Cardiff process), the Council adopted conclusions that sets out its priorities (EUROPE will return to this). The Belgian delegation welcomed these conclusions that "correspond to the priorities of the future Belgian Presidency". The minister placed special emphasis on the need for energy liberalisation (see page 12), and on the adoption of a Community patent.
Along the lines of the Lisbon conclusions a year ago, most delegations (D, UK, Nl, Ire. Sp, Fin, Sw) pleaded in favour of accelerating energy liberalisation, with the British putting forward the date of 2003 and the Dutch 2005, proposed by the Commission. Germany and Austria added the liberalisation of telecommunications, Finland and the Netherlands that of postal services. Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg, Greece and France, on the other hand wanted liberalisation not to occur to the detriment of the general interest, recalling that, like Greece, the declaration of the Nice Summit on services of a general interest. "The modernisation of network industries, like gas and electricity, is a useful goal for companies and users, but we do not want to set dates" the French representative insisted, considering that the priorities had to be: inter-connection, the creation of a regulator, technical harmonization and network security. He distances himself from the Presidency's conclusions, that ensured that at the end of the debate a consensus was reached to "pursue the efforts at liberalisation with a precise timetable". "We shall await the debate in Stockholm but will not feel committed", the French replied.
Simplification and improvement of regulatory framework: Commissioner Frits Bolkestein presented his report on improving the regulatory framework, to be submitted to Stockholm, and the French delegation presented conclusions of the high-level "Mandelkern" group, adopted in Strasbourg last November. Its main recommendations are: 1) simplify forthcoming and existing legislation; 2) codify, or at least consolidate, existing texts; 3) begin permanent consultations between the Commission, Member States and the parties concerned; 4) present further impact-assessment studies and broadcast them over the Internet; 5) follow OCDE recommendations on assessing the quality of legislative texts.
All Member states welcomed these two reports, insisting, as did the United Kingdom, for "concrete actions and clear deadlines" to be rapidly presented or, like Ireland, for the role of the social partners to be taken into account. The Netherlands hoped that three elements would be selected by the Summit: 1) impact-assessment; 2) adoption of a guideline on self-regulation; 3) consultation.
Internal market for services: the delegations on the whole backed the "horizontal" approach, which takes account of all sectoral proposals, and in "two stages" (identification of obstacles to the free provision of services in 2001, concrete proposal for 2002"), proposed by Frtis Bolkestein in his "new strategy for the internal market for services" presented in January. Several delegations placed emphasis on the quality of the first stage. "A more serious diagnosis needs making, before beginning the therapy", said the German State minister for economic affairs, Axel Gerlach. Luxembourg urged the Commission to ensure the coherence of the new legislative framework with the directives currently being negotiated, and France calls for a more detailed analysis of the sectors targeted by the horizontal approach.
The delegations also raised the need to respond to the expectations of the consumers regarding financial services, food safety and electronic commerce, said Council President Leif Pagrotsky. "Consumer interest" is however perceived differently: Luxembourg placed emphasis on the delay of European industry in bio-technologies, for which politicians are in part "responsible" as they have not provided clear answers to ethical problems. "We must guarantee greater transparency and security in this new industry", he stated. Italy, on the other hand, called for caution, stressing that the long-term impact of disseminating GMOs in nature is not yet known.
Soothing statements can be thin in the absence of scientific conclusions, he noted. Finland underline the problem of the mobile telecommunications markets: the operators have already invested EUR 140 billion in the UMTS licences while no third generation network has been created as yet, he said.
New labour markets: most of the delegations welcomed to creation of a task force on the social stakes of the new information technologies, but France and Belgium called for all of the social partners to be included and not only some of them as Mr Bolkestein seems to have inferred. According to the United Kingdom, it is necessary to concentrate on the practical aspects, such as training, languages, the obligation to have a bank account in the State of provision. In line with this, Austria and Sweden insisted, among other, over the improvement of the system for the mutual recognition of qualifications.