Brussels, 27/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 26 June at a meeting of the internal market and consumer protection committee of the European Parliament, German Federal Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries and Director of European Affairs at the German Federal Ministry of the Economy and Technology Claudia Dörr looked back on what the German presidency had achieved in this area. Among the issues addressed were the agreement on consumer credit reached at the Competitiveness Council, the European patent system, the revision of directives allowing companies which felt their public procurement bids had been wrongfully rejected to appeal prior to the signing of contracts, and the “Better regulation” approach.
There had been success on consumer credit, said Ms Zypries. She felt the “balanced” outcome would give service providers greater outlets and allow consumers to look for the best credit deal available. “We will have a uniform right of withdrawal for consumer credit and uniform criteria for calculating annual interest rates,” she added. In other words, a consumer searching on the internet for consumer credit will be sure that the method of calculating levels will be the same in all member states, no matter where the supplier is based. The consumer will even be able to use a “standard form” to carry out comparisons between the various credit companies, Ms Zypries said. Arlene McCarthy (PES, United Kingdom), who chairs the internal market committee, asked her about the need to do more to educate the public and raise awareness. “There are lots of people who are completely lost,” she said, and things could get worse if it becomes possible to apply for credit in all 27 EU countries. Acknowledging that “household debt is a problem,” Ms Zypries said there were safeguards built into the future European legislation: setting a €100,000 cap on sums that can be borrowed, and consumers' right to withdraw.
On intellectual property, Ms Zypries was pessimistic about developments in discussions on the European patents system. The moment had come to say either we get a solution or we bury this matter once and for all, she said. Following the Commission communication, the German presidency had held three expert group meetings to take stock of the situation and draw up a list of the rules in force in member states. Janelly Fourtou (ALDE, France) expressed her disappointment at the scepticism of the German presidency. “France has so far refused to ratify the London Protocol. Maybe under Nicolas Sarkozy the situation will be different,” Ms Zypries replied. The London Protocol is a draft intergovernmental agreement, the aim of which is to reduce the cost of translation of European patents. All that is required for it to come into force is France's ratification.
Ms Dörr welcomed the first reading adoption of the draft directive on appeals prior to the signing of public procurement contracts (see EUROPE 9451). She spoke of the introduction at European level of a minimum ten day period between the award of the contract and the signing, to allow a company whose tender was not accepted, and which feels wronged, to lodge an appeal, and also of the rules annulling illegal private contracts.
On “Better regulation”, Ms Dörr said she hoped the Council would soon conclude negotiations on the Commission's concrete proposals on reducing red tape. “The debate (on the legislative package on the free movement of goods) has been taken as far as it can go in the Council,” she added, hoping that, “in the second half of 2007”, a solution would be found. She also spoke of the ministerial exchange of views on the review of the European strategy for the internal market at the informal Competitiveness Council in Würzburg, based on the Commission's interim report which was submitted to the Spring Council (see EUROPE 9419). The question to be answered, Ms Dörr said, was: “Is the Community sufficiently well-prepared to take its position in the process of economic globalisation?” When questioned by British Conservative MEP Malcolm Harbour, she advised the EP to put forward its opinion on this issue as quickly as possible if it hoped to influence the debate going on in the Commission. Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy is due to present the final report in the autumn.
In conclusion, Ms Dörr said there was “broad consensus” in the Council on postal services, even though member states differed “on the speed and detail of the reforms” which will ultimately lead to the removal of the last segment of the postal market which could still be said to be reserved for the public historic operator. She said the compromise recently reached in the Parliamentary transport and tourism committee “resolves some questions” (see EUROPE 9449). She hoped that the Council would soon be in a position rapidly to reach an agreement, “perhaps in the second half of 2007”. Finally, she welcomed the first reading agreement on the ban on the trade in cat and dog fur. (mb)