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EU ministers in the Competitiveness Council focus attention on growth

May 30, 2012
On 30-31 May, the Danish EU Presidency will host its second and last formal Competitiveness Council meeting about growth in the Single Market and the EU’s coming framework programme on research and innovation.

On 30-31 May, the Danish Minister for Business and Growth, Ole Sohn, and Minister for Science, Innovation and Higher Education, Morten Østergaard, will discuss growth in the Single Market and likely reach agreement on the overall principles for the forthcoming EU framework programme on research and innovation – Horizon 2020 – in Brussels with other European ministers.

On 30 May, the focus will be on the growth initiatives in the Single Market Act and the ministers responsible for competitiveness will discuss the following:

  • European regulation on alternative and online dispute resolution in consumer cases
  • Modernisation of the procurement rules in the EU
  • The review of the directive on mutual recognition of professional qualifications
  • The establishment of a European Patent System

Additionally, the ministers will discuss the guidelines for allocation of funds under the EU programme for the competiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises and they will adopt council conclusions about governance and reinforcement of regulation on the Single Market and the Digital Single Market.

Danish Minister for Business and Growth Ole Sohn states:

– After the head of states' meeting in the European Council last Wednesday, it is obvious that we must maintain focus on strengthening growth in the EU. I am convinced that one of the main roads to growth in the EU is through the modernisation of the Single Market. This is why we will focus on a number of concrete growth initiatives in the Single Market Act at the Competitiveness Council meeting and hope that there is political will to deliver results.

On the following day member states will negotiate the EU's coming framework programme for research and innovation, Horizon 2020.  The programme will be the world's largest with a proposed budget of EUR 80 billion. Member states are expected to reach agreement on the overall structure and lay-out of Horizon 2020.

Danish and Minister for Science, Innovation and Higher Education, Morten Østergaard states:

– Horizon 2020 is an important agreement that will have significant meaning for European growth and development. The economic crisis has marked Europe with high unemployment. With Horizon 2020, the EU is adapting its entire research effort to the times we live in. The aim is to strengthen Europe's research and innovation capabilities and thereby create results and solutions that can be translated to production, services and new jobs.
– Horizon 2020 will also contribute to solving Europe's challenges of rising health expenses, the move to a society free of dependence on fossil fuels and ensuring Europe's food security. We must ensure and strengthen excellent research so that we create unexpected and ground-breaking research results. I expect that we will achieve agreement at the Council meeting on the overall structure and lay-out of Horizon 2020.

Contact

Philip Flores, Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education
Email: pge@fivu.dk, tel: +45 22 37 17 45

Nils Agerhus, Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education
Email: nag@fivu.dk, tel: +45 20 75 78 17

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