Brussels, 15/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - Tuesday's Competitiveness Council held an exchange of views on the proposal to replace the current regulation on controls on business mergers (see EUROPE of 12 December 2002, p.10). Following a table round during which only the German, Danish and Italian delegations spoke, the Ministers unanimously re-affirmed their commitment to conclude this dossier before the next Spring Summit. A source close to the Commission described the discussion as "non-conflictual", adding that Germany, which initially doubted the need to revise the 1989 regulation (modified in 1997), abandoned its reservations, and could even see "a clearer set of rules to tackle enlargement" in the proposed amendments.