Brussels, 19/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - High Representatives from the thirteen EU accession candidate countries and a delegation from the European Commission, lead by the Competition Commissioner Mario Monti met in Ljubljana, in Slovenia, during the seventh annual conference on competition, this 18 and 19 June. This event has a particularly symbolic value at a time when the accession negotiations between the European Union and the candidate countries have reach a decisive stage. The talks focused on the need for the candidate countries to ensure an enhancing of their competition rules in order to adjust them to the European rules, and the creation of a true "culture" of competition. As each year, for the last seven years, the participants discussed in an honest and concrete manner the present situation in the candidate countries and the efforts that remain to be made. The dialogue, according to a Communiqué cast light on the improvements required in the area, particularly sensitive for the candidate countries, of State aids, which continue to be paid to unprofitable companies, in particular in order to attract foreign investment.
The conclusions of the forum will be particularly important, as the EU is presently carrying out an assessment of the measures taken by the authorities in the candidate countries in terms of competition. This assessment should be completed in the autumn and the conference will enable to assess the preliminary results.