Brussels, 23/01/2004 (Agence Europe) - Some progress has been made in the Lisbon process, but it has been slow, said the current President of the Competitiveness Council, Mary Harney, speaking to the legal and internal market committee of the European Parliament. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Enterprise intends to make the most of the six months of Ireland's Presidency of the Union to "breathe new life into the process", an objective which will require adequate preparation by the Spring European Council using documents on competitiveness presented by the European Commission. She stressed that competitiveness must be at the heart of the European Council's work, being a prerequisite of economic prosperity and an improved social situation.
As for the role of the Competitiveness Council, the Irish Presidency's action will be pragmatic above all else. It will pick up where the Italian Presidency left off. As we indicated yesterday (see EUROPE of 22 January, p.12), Ms Harney will undertake a series of bilateral talks with countries whose lack of enthusiasm is holding up the conclusion of a definitive agreement on the Community patent. She hopes that this agreement will be reached by March at the latest. The Irish Presidency will also try to move the following dossiers forward: the new Reach system for the registration and evaluation of chemical products; takeover bids, the patentability of computer-developed inventions, measures and procedures to ensure that intellectual property laws are respected (fight against piracy and counterfeiting), and the mutual recognition of vocational qualifications. Mary Harney said that the Presidency had also set itself the objective of reaching a common position on the recently proposed framework directive on services in the internal market. On research, Irish priorities lie with the creation of the European Research Area, and initiatives to reach the goal of 3% of GDP for investment in R&D by 2010. The strategy for scientist mobility within the EU will also be continued.