Brussels, 20/01/2004 (Agence Europe) - The French Minister for Industry, Nicole Fontaine and the German Secretary for the Economy, Wilhelm Adamovitsch inaugurated the first joint French-German annual forum for "competition and industry" on 18 January in Paris. According to AFP, Ms Fontaine and Mr Adamovitsch indicated that they were going to reflect on the development of European competition policy in order to better protect companies in the face of world competition. The two Member States "constitute what we could call a privileged "laboratory" for the whole of Europe, explained the French minister who also added that this forum was open to other Member States. Ms Fontaine stressed the need for Europe to protect its companies facing international competition: "Today, trade is less intra-European than international and we have to think about the way in which the rules take into account these developments", she declared. Methods for reflection are expected to converge towards greater suppleness in European rules, notably in research aid "so we are as well armed as our world competitors", added Ms Fontaine. Mr Adamvitsch declared that they had "the intention to outline the 'axis for this reflection' in the new four weeks" by proposing an examination of "this reflection during the second edition of the German meetings" in Berlin next year.