Brussels, 03/03/2003 (Agence Europe) - France has presented a "non-paper" in the framework of preparing the Spring European Council of 21 March in which it especially insists on the Commission presenting a draft directive on services of a general interest, said French minister of European Affairs Noelle Lenoir on Monday, on the occasion of a visit to the Commission. France, moreover, places emphasis on "the economic return of know-how", the setting up of a "viable decision-making system" and a move to qualified majority voting for decisions on social and tax policy concerning cross-border workers, she went on. Three years after the launch of the "Lisbon Strategy", the European Union "must continue along the path of structural reforms", understand the reasons for the delays and propose solutions, the French paper notes.
According to the French authorities, they should first "give the priority to innovation and knowledge". Other than funding research projects and the development of an active training policy, France places emphasis on the need for a "European response to the crisis in the telecommunications sector". France would, moreover, like the Summit to reiterate its confidence in the potential of the 3rd general mobile phone.
The second priority is "improving the functioning of the internal market", notably by coming up with a "Community strategy for services of a general interest at the service of the goals of Lisbon". France places emphasis on the Commission presenting a directive on services of a general interest after its Green Paper on the subject expected for April, says Ms. Lenoir. According to the French paper, a Community stance in the matter should be based on: 1) a common legislative basis: "harmonised definitions, corpus of obligation of the public service, financing, comparative assessment, etc."; 2) discussions on regulating the Community markets; 3) a confirmation that "public funding of SGIs is not State aid when it serves to compensate for extra costs caused by missions of a public service" in accordance with the Ferring ruling of November 2002 by the Court of Justice of the EU. France, moreover, would like the summit to call for the adoption of an action plan on company law in 2003 and improvements to the control of concentrations.
When it comes to sustainable development, France is calling for rapid adoption of measures to strengthen transport security and safety.
In the social domain, France is calling for the social agenda to continue and for new proposals on the European Employment Strategy and updating social protection.
On the subject of coordinating economic policy, France repeated its position whereby it is necessary to go beyond purely budget aspects to take better and speedier account of the international context and take greater account of the issues of the quality and sustainability of public finances (public debt, structural deficit and commitments outside the control of the state). (See Europe/Documents No. 2313 of 14 February 2003, on the joint statement to the Spring Summit by Jacques Chirac, Gerhard Schröder and Tony Blair, and Europe of 27 February, p.9, on the joint statement by Tony Blair and Jose Manuel Durao Barroso.)