Date of release : 04-03-2005

Policy area : Competitiveness (Internal market, Industry and Research) Competitiveness (Internal market, Industry and Research)

Event : Competitiveness Council

The Competitiveness Council of the European Union will be held in Brussels on Monday 7 March 2005 under the chairmanship of Mr Jeannot Krecké, Minister for the Economy and Foreign Trade, and with Mr François Biltgen, Minister for Culture, Higher Education and Research, in attendance.

At the initiative of the Presidency, this session of the Council will be preceded by an informal dinner on Sunday evening, during which the Ministers will discuss aspects of trade policy in the context of the Lisbon Strategy with Mr Verheugen, Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry, and Mr Mandelson, Commissioner for External Trade, in attendance.

In the formal session, the Council will first address the principal point on the agenda, which is its contribution to the Spring European Council and its role in the framework of the mid-term review of the process of economic and social reform called the "Lisbon Strategy". It will also discuss proposals recently made in this regard by the Commission, with emphasis on growth and employment.

In the general framework of the objective of improving the competitiveness of European enterprises, the Council will continue its work towards better lawmaking and simplifying legislation.

The Commission will then present the fifth report on the implementation of the Small Enterprise Charter to exchange views regarding the application of this charter within the Member States of the EU.

The dinner will allow an informal exchange of reflections on the follow-up of some dossiers currently under discussion.

Finally, the Presidency will report to the Council on the status of the work regarding the proposals on the REACH system by the ad hoc Chemical Products Group.In addition, the Presidency will report on the positive result of the negotiations with the European Parliament on the Directive Proposal on unfair trading practices with a view to adopting it on the second reading.