27/05/2004 (Agence Europe) - In his speech to the conference of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries in Dublin on 27 May, the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, David Byrne, also referred to the IGC on the European Constitution, saying that he was encouraged by the prospect of unanimity being maintained "for all decisions on direct taxation". The Irish Commissioner finds it "ironic" that countries pleading for harmonisation in company taxation "are the first to dig into their coffers to bail out companies": he feels that this is "an option only for relatively rich Member States", whilst "smaller economies cannot afford this luxury". I hope, Mr Byrne warned, that the next President of the Commission "will resist the increasing calls from some of our largest Member States to adapt EU competition and industry policies to facilitate State-backed industrial champions".