Informal meeting of the ministers responsible for competitiveness (Internal Market and industry)

Useful information for the media

3 May 2019

Bucharest, Palace of the Parliament

In the context of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the informal meeting of the ministers responsible for Competitiveness (COMPET) - Internal Market and Industry section will take place on 3 May 2019. The works will be held in Bucharest, at the Palace of the Parliament.

The event will be chaired by the Romanian Minister of Economy, Mr. Niculae Bădălău.

The ministers responsible for the economy, industry, Internal Market and SMEs from the 28 EU Member States as well as from the two member states of the European Free Trade Association (Switzerland, Norway) will attend the meeting.

The European Commission will be represented by Elżbieta Bieńkowska i, European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs.

The COMPET Council will start on the evening of 2 May 2019, with a welcome dinner for the members of the delegations. The ministers of the economy will be accompanied by a successful entrepreneur from their Member State. The discussions will focus on one of the main priorities of the Romanian Presidency, namely the significant contribution to ensuring convergence and cohesion in Europe in order to achieve opportunities for sustainable and equal development for all citizens and Member States, promoting connectivity and digitization, stimulating entrepreneurship and strengthening the EU industrial policy.

On Friday, 3 May 2019, the COMPET Ministers will meet at the Palace of the Parliament to discuss issues related to competitiveness, entrepreneurship, SMEs’ contribution to competitiveness and the Internal Market.

The Internal Market contributes decisively to increasing the global competitiveness of the European Union, which implies inter alia the need to correlate it with other EU policies and to adapt to new developments and challenges.

Moreover, the Internal Market is a common responsibility of the European Commission and the Member States, and its consolidation is one of the sectoral priorities of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, that includes among its objectives, the Internal Market and the industry. In this respect, the subjects on the agenda of the informal COMPET Council meeting - Internal Market and industry section, are linked to the priorities of the Presidency.

Discussion agenda for the informal COMPET Council of 3 May:

Entrepreneurship, SMEs, start-up and scale-up companies - their contribution to the EU competitiveness

The Small Business Act for Europe, the overarching EU policy framework for small and medium-sized enterprises, adopted in June 2008 and revised in February 2011 aims to improve the approach to entrepreneurship in Europe, simplify the regulatory and policy environment for SMEs, and remove the remaining barriers to their development. The main priorities of this policy are promoting entrepreneurship, reducing the regulatory burden, access to finance, and access to markets and internationalization. Its revision in 2011 aimed to reflect the implementation of the Small Business Act and to integrate it with the Europe Strategy 2020.

The objective of the European Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan, that has been adopted based on the Small Business Act, is to contribute to reigniting the entrepreneurial spirit in Europe.

Start-up and scale-up companies, technology-based and growth-orientated, are particularly important for the goals of this Action Plan.

The COMPET ministers will reflect on future policies for boosting entrepreneurship and on the contribution of SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups to the competitiveness of the EU industry.

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  Roadmap of the European energy intensive industries

Industry is a key player for the EU’s economy growth. Thus, maintaining a strong industrial base in the EU is a prerequisite for the competitiveness of the European economy.

Safeguarding the future of industry in Europe has been strongly highlighted by Member States and industry, who called for a holistic industrial policy approach.

It is important that industrial policy and climate/energy policies are approached on an equal footing and that a proper framework is created in order to enable the transition to a low-carbon economy. This industrial transformation is not an easy task. Most of the energy-intensive companies are international, their products being traded globally. The framework needs to be predictable and trustful over time, allowing industry to prepare their significant investments in low-emission technologies, in such a way that innovation and investments in this field take place firstly in Europe and spread globally.

The COMPET ministers will discuss on the interaction between the future industrial policy strategy and the EU long-term strategy for climate neutrality considering the impact on climate, for safeguarding the competitiveness of EU industry.

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  Single Market - An integrated approach in support of industry and for a better implementation and enforcement of Single Market rules

The European Council of March 2019 provided political guidelines regarding the Single Market and industry and stressed that a strong economic base is of key importance for Europe’s prosperity and competitiveness, and for its role on the global stage, and called for an integrated approach connecting all relevant policies and dimensions, including the deepening of the Single Market and an assertive EU industrial policy.

A strong, deepened and well-functioning Single Market is the cornerstone for the EU’s integrated, sustainable and competitive industrial base and contributes to its success on a global level. The Single Market facilitates the integration and development of the European value chains helping to ensure that industry and related services remain within the Union. In this respect, the Single Market is also crucial for SMEs, offering them opportunities to develop, integrate in the value chains and scale up.

The 25 years of the functioning of the Single Market have proven it to be Europe’s best asset to generate growth, innovation and attract investments.

The enforcement of the Single Market regulatory framework is very important for its proper functioning. The recent adoption of the legislative package on mutual recognition and on market surveillance and conformity of products will efficiently contribute to the deepening of the Single Market, bringing benefits to citizens and companies.

The COMPET ministers will discuss on the measures, that they consider necessary for optimizing the enforcement and application of the Single Market rules to support the global competitiveness of European industry and the development of strategic value chains.

MEDIA PROGRAM

Friday, 3 May 2019

Locație: Palatul Parlamentului

Practical information for the media

Accreditation

The access of journalists is based exclusively on press accreditation.

The accreditation is made on the platform of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union: https://accreditation.romania2019.eu/ until 23 April 2019.

Following accreditation, the badges can be picked up exclusively from the Palace of the Parliament, Entrance S2, floor P (Izvor Street, No. 2-4) - at the Accreditation Centre of the Romanian Presidency at the EU Council, from 07:30 to 19:00. To issue accreditation badges, you need to submit the accreditation approval and your ID or passport.

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  Press centre

Schedule: 7.30-20.00

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  During the event, the press centre is located in the Palace of the Parliament, Iuliu Maniu Hall.
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  The access of journalists inside the building is done exclusively through the A3 entrance, floor S2 (street level), Izvor Street No. 2-4.
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  Media Booths with media fittings for Audio-Video media representatives are available within the Press Centre. Access to these Media Booths is made following an appointment made at the TVR Info Point, floor P. The appointment can be made on the day of the event.
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  The Ministry of Economy will have a representative at the entrance A3 - floor S2 throughout the whole period of the event.
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  Contact details:

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    e-mail: birou.presa@economie.gov.ro
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    Phone:

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      +40722623981 - Alexandru Macoveiciuc, Spokesman, Ministry of Economy.
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      +40728198788 - Raluca Ariton, Head of Communication Service, Mass-media and Transparency, Ministry of Economy.

For more information you may access the Media Guide: https://www.romania2019.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/media-guide_en-1.pdf