Brussels, 05/07/2006 (Agence Europe) - In a note sent to the Finnish prime minister Matti Vanhanen on the eve of his meeting on 6 July with the EK president Christoffer Taxell and the president of UNICE Ernest-Antoine Seillière, the European employers explained what they expected from the Finnish presidency over the next 6 months, subject by subject:
- future of the EU: UNICE underlines that it is up to governments “to …get us out of the governance confusion we are in” and calls on the presidency to make sure that the timetable is respected;
- competitiveness: the first reports on implementation of the national reform programmes for growth and jobs will be presented in the autumn. UNICE believes that on the basis of its own experience the Finnish presidency is in “an excellent position to encourage courageous policy reforms”. The employers' organisation appeals for the completion of the internal market and measures of consolidation, including those for preventing new forms of national protectionism. UNICE considers that innovation policy has to draw on the recommendations of the Esko Aho pilot group. It also appeals for the swift adoption of the 7th Community Research Framework Programme, which is supposed to begin at the beginning of 2007;
- energy: UNICE points out that the European institutions have a strong tendency to set long term strategies for energy, when they should in fact be setting out short and medium term strategies too: creation of a truly open Internal Market for energy or protection of the competitiveness of energy-intensive industries in the framework of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. The Finnish presidency should encourage the Commission to start thinking about a process which could lead, in the medium to long term, to a well designed EU harmonised framework for cost-efficient support of renewable energies. UNICE also considers that “the debate on Europe's future energy competitiveness and on climate protection can no longer be held without giving very serious consideration to greater recourse to nuclear energy”. Development of an external energy policy is also a very important priority for the short and medium term. UNICE is demanding the replacement of the EU-Russia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with a full free-trade agreement with Russia that covers a broad range of issues including cross-border energy trade and investment. The employers' group also recognises the High North and the Barents Sea as potential sources of energy (it is estimated that nearly 25% of unexplored resources of oil and gas are thought to be located in the Artic region);
- employment: drawing on the report of Wim Kok, UNICE, reaffirms that more European regulation in the social sector is “the wrong approach” for reducing unemployment. This explains the importance of the revision of the working time directive not leading to more constrains on companies;
- EU external relations: UNICE is calling on the EU to make a concerted effort to reach an agreement before the end of 2006 as part of the negotiations on the Doha Agenda. Additional progress in agricultural negotiations is required from all the main actors;
- environment: the EU Emission Trade Scheme has to be revised to allow for a more harmonious implementation in Member States so that a negative impact on competitiveness is avoided. UNICE calls for caution when setting the air quality limits and wants further clarification on the Waste Framework Directive. UNICE wants a development of the recycling economy and would also like to prevent incurring additional charges to enterprise. The employers still have some serious concerns about REACH (legislation on chemical products);
- enlargement: European employers reaffirm that, “enlargement is an opportunity, not a threat…It offers tremendous opportunities for all European citizens and healthy pressure for structural reforms”. UNICE is supportive of the Commission's assessment of Bulgaria and Romania and calls on the two countries to continue their progress in three key areas: strengthening the rule of law, modernising customs procedures and ensuring full application of EU product safety standards.