Raad Concurrentievermogen bespreekt vorderingen interne markt en de aanpak van de economische crisis (en)

Ministers for competitiveness will meet in Brussels today to discuss the Key Issues Paper 2009 for the Spring European Council.

Also on the agenda: Follow-up to the Single Market Review and Council Conclusions on the crisis in the car industry.

At the beginning of the meeting, chaired by Czech Industry and Trade Minister Martin Ríman, the ministers will discuss the evaluation of the results achieved so far in the internal market integration and a plan defining future action that will provide guidelines for the European Commission in this area.

Next on the agenda will be the Key Issues Paper 2009, traditionally prepared by the Presidency for the Spring European Council. Its main aim is to give a response to the global crisis and the economic slump and to outline measures for boosting EU competitiveness.

The ministers will then address current problems faced by European car manufacturers and their subcontractors which also have a negative impact on other industries, small and medium-sized businesses and employment. A response to the crisis must be sought primarily within the car-making industry itself. However, the European institutions and the Member States should continue to help maintain the competitiveness of this important European industry.

Another item on the agenda will be the Presidency Progress Report on Better Regulation. The objective of this initiative is to define ways to reduce the excessive burden of regulation. The European Commission has adopted a target of reducing the burden for businesses by 25 % by 2012 and in a number of Member States national plans to cut down on excessive red tape are already being implemented.

Finally, the European Commission will present a report on the implementation of the Small Bussines Act for Europe, the principal aim of which is to improve the overall approach to entrepreneurship in the EU. The Commission will also inform about the transposition of the Services Directive into the legal systems of the Member States, present the most recent data from the latest Internal Market Scoreboard and the results of the yearly survey of the consumer market (Consumer Market Scoreboard).