My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Competitiveness (Stephen Timms) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
The following Statement provides information on the Competitiveness Council in Brussels on 22 November 2007, at which I represented the UK. The meeting was chaired in the morning by Manuel Pinho, Portuguese Minister for Economy and Innovation, and in the afternoon by State Secretary Joao Tiago Silveira of the Portuguese Justice Ministry.
The council held an exchange of views and reached agreement on integrated conclusions covering industry, SME, and e-skills policy, as well as on the Commission's recent communications on globalisation and competitiveness. The council agreed on the importance of sustainability and knowledge, as well as facilitating access to markets, both internal and external. I intervened to emphasise the importance of an integrated approach to competitiveness, and an open trade policy.
The council took note of a progress report and held an exchange of views on better regulation. I intervened to welcome progress, but to emphasise that further work is needed on impact assessment and the reduction of administrative burdens, including in the field of company law.
The council also took note of a progress report and held an exchange of views on the revision to the timeshare directive. I intervened to press for further progress on this proposal, but argued that the issue of the right of withdrawal for consumers should be addressed as part of the Commission's wider review of consumer legislation.
Conclusions on sustainable and competitive European tourism were also adopted, noting the contribution which sustainable tourism can make to regeneration and economic development.
The council adopted conclusions on a simplified business environment for EU companies in the areas of company law, accounting and auditing, emphasising the importance of creating an investment-friendly climate and improving European competitiveness.
The council took note of a progress report and held an exchange of views on the patent system in Europe, focusing on whether to split jurisdiction for infringement and validity disputes, and on whether to combine work on patent litigation and the community patent. The UK intervened to argue against split jurisdiction, and to avoid linking progress on patent litigation issues to the community patent.
Under other business, the Commission and presidency gave short progress reports on the single market review, the free movement of goods, the classification, labelling and packaging of substances, product safety, services of general interest, trade defence instruments (where the UK intervened to support a modernised regime which takes account of the interests of all players), the legal protection of designs, and a number of presidency conferences. The incoming Slovenian presidency gave a brief indication of its likely work programme.