Brussels, 13/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - The aim of the Stockholm Summit must be to maintain and enhance the dynamic created by the Lisbon Summit, asserts, the European employers (UNICE), which is sending a call to the EU governments for them to identify and correct the mediocre performances in certain fields and, if need be, review the aims of Lisbon. Presenting its priorities for a more competitive Europe, for the attention of next week's European Council, UNICE notes that it will require:
1. Launching the Euro and completing the single market: In particular: a) the Member States must intensify the awareness building and public information campaigns; b) the key elements of the action plan for financial services must be implemented by 2003, and the Member States should show their desire to anticipate the set deadlines and accept the suggestions of the Lamfalussy report for the increased use of framework legislation. As for postal services, UNICE calls on the Member States to fully liberalise the direct and cross-border postal services by 2003; c) the rapid adopting of a suitable statute for the European company including an adapted optional fiscal statute, the creations of a single prospectus to be used in all the EU capital markets, as well as the liberalisation of investment rules for complementary pension funds; d) UNICE welcomes the preparation by the Commission of a new series of measures to liberalise the energy markets and calls for the effective opening of the electricity and gas markets to be completed at the latest in 2004;
2. Establish a European information society: a) the UNICE 2001 report on the new economy asserts that the e-Europe action plan is crucial for the development of the information society in Europe; b) concerning the "telecommunications package", UNICE calls for the adopting of the framework Directive and the Directive on access and interconnections, and calls on the Council to ratify the proposals relating to transparency and consultation included in the framework Directive; c) the EU should encourage the Member States to set out conditions favouring an effective access to broadband infrastructures and to ensure the rapid adoption of a generalised electronic access to public services; d) in terms of electronic commerce, UNICE feels that the EU must continue to seek solutions to resolve, in a friendly manner, the disputes to the benefit of consumers and companies, and proposes the creation of a generic 'EU" domain name as well as the adopting of balanced rules concerning cybercrime; e) the Member States should consider, to make up to shortage in computer skills, more open immigration policies;
3. Promote research and innovation by intensifying cooperation between industry and the academic world and by more closely associating companies to the activities foreseen by the 6th framework research and development programme 2000-2006. UNICE is also calling for the establishment, at the EU level, of a suitable framework to protect intellectual property rights, reflecting the priorities of the new technologies and the patentability of inventions linked to software.
4. Make the climate more favourable to the entrepreneurial spirit: the Member States should above all simplify the rules, rationalise the procedures (especially for the starting up of a company), reduce bureaucracy and lower the tax burden shouldered by companies, including tax on labour;
5. Promote flexibility and efficiency in the labour markets, by placing emphasis on the improvement of the level of competence and the mobility of the workforce. In the face of the challenge of an ageing population, Stockholm should decide to place emphasis on the progress seen in the financing of pensions schemes. Finally, UNICE is favourable to the open coordination method (launched in Lisbon) to resolve the issues linked to the labour market and feels that the promotion of social integration and lifelong training remain a key mission for European decision-makers.