Brussels, 13/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - At its meeting in Stockholm on 8 June, the Council of Presidents of Unice (European employers) set out the priorities of business for the Gothenburg Summit:
1. EU enlargement: it will, notably, be a question of ensuring competitiveness and cohesion in an enlarged Europe. The Summit should be a significant step forward in that direction, launching new measures limiting as far as possible the negative effects of the inevitable adjustments that enlargement involves. Unice undertakes to pursue its action in favour of a harmonious enlargement;
2. Sustainable development: the Summit's guidelines and priorities will be crucial in determining whether or not the essential balance between the economic, social and environmental pillars of sustainable development is actually achieved. Unice endorses many points in the Commission's communication, but calls on the Summit "not to approve" the proposals relating to "energy taxation", which are "of poor environmental effectiveness" and would "have a very negative impact on the competitiveness of European companies";
3. WTO meeting (Doha): among Unice's priorities for the new broad-based round, we find: the development of a reference framework for international investment, further opening of service markets, the reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade. Unice is determined to play its role in the success of this new round;
EU/United States relations: for Unice, there is a pressing need to defuse trade tensions, and convergence of views on WTO issues is very important.