Vice-President Antonio Tajani will be representing the European Commission in his role of Entrepreneurship and Industry Commissioner.

With regards to the industrial policy for Europe there are three main points that will be made:

- The Competitiveness Council will take stock of the substantial progress of negotiations made by the Council and the European Parliament towards the final adoption of COSME which is set to become the first European programme specifically designed to support SMEs.

- Tajani will present to the Competitiveness Council the new LeaderSHIP 2020 initiative which was supported by Industry and Member States on 20th February at a High Level event. The new initiative focuses on key policy areas to ensure the future of shipbuilding in Europe.

- The Competitiveness Council will adopt formal conclusions welcoming Communication as a useful basis of discussion and acknowledging the importance of the objectives identified by the Commission with regards to the European Space Industrial policy.

COSME – first programme specifically targeted to small enterprises

On 8 February, the European Council agreed on the Programme for Competitiveness and SMEs (COSME), set to become the first European programme specifically targeted at supporting SMEs. Once the Multi-annual Financial Framework is finalised with the European Parliament, COSME will be a funding instrument which will largely continue the activities of the current Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme, but will even better respond to SME needs:

• Its equity facility for growth-phase investment will provide SMEs with commercially-oriented reimbursable equity financing, primarily in the form of venture capital through financial intermediaries.
• Second, a loan facility will provide direct or other risk-sharing arrangements to financial intermediaries to allow them to cover loans to SMEs.
• The COSME instruments will be complemented by financing for research and innovation driven enterprises under the Horizon Programme 2020.

Under its SME guarantee facility, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) has helped nearly 220 000 SMEs to access loans (IP/13/387).

In this context, the Competitiveness Council will take stock of the substantial progress in negotiations made by the Council and the European Parliament towards final adoption of COSME.

Vice-President Tajani will stress the substantial support COSME will bring to European SMEs - the backbone of Europe’s economy. He will encourage the Council to maintain momentum in its decisions regarding COSME in order to swiftly adopt the programme.

More information:

http://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/cosme_en

LeaderSHIP - Ensuring future of shipbuilding in Europe

In view of the persisting crisis in the European shipbuilding sector, Vice-President Tajani had proposed at the meeting of the Competitiveness Council in December 2011 a revision of the LeaderShip 2015 initiative.

Making good on this commitment, Vice-President Tajani will present to the Competitiveness Council the new LeaderSHIP2020 initiative which was supported by industry and Member States on 20 February 2013 at a High Level event. Representatives from the European Parliament were also involved in the process.

The new initiative which is being presented now to Ministers focuses on key policy areas, namely a renewed impetus given to green innovation in the sector and the tapping of new emerging markets. To this end LeaderSHIP 2020 will draw from an enlarged range of stakeholders and should optimise the use of financing options, as well as public-private partnerships. Finally, important additions to the new strategy will be the focus on employment and skills and on the potential of smart specialisation of some coastal regions for the Maritime Technology Industry, which should facilitate the greater use of Structural Funds 2014-2020 for maritime industries.

The European ships and maritime equipment industry employs more than 500 000 people and has an average annual turnover of around €72 billion but faces strong competition, and, like many other industries, the effects of an unprecedented crisis (see MEMO/13/116).

More information:

http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/maritime/shipbuilding/ec-support_en

Industrial policy

In the current difficult climate, the importance of sustaining a strong real economy is more important than ever. In this context, the Competitiveness Council will discuss the implementation of the Commission’s renewed industrial policy both during a working lunch and in a formal discussion.

On this occasion, Vice-President Tajani will present the first main results of the implementation of the Commission’s October 2012 Communication on Industrial Policy and its planned future actions, while calling on the Competitiveness Council to play an active role in support of its priorities.

This discussion is also expected to provide an opportunity to summarise the recent discussions held in Dublin at the Informal Council on entrepreneurship, access to finance and internationalisation of SMEs. Vice-President Tajani will also present the Commission Communication on Trade Defence Instruments adopted on 10 April 2013 (see IP/12/1085). This initiative is designed to improve such instruments for all stakeholders, both producers and importers, favouring a pragmatic and balanced approach.

More information:

http://ec.europa.eu/growth/industry/policy_en

http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/accessing-markets/trade-defence/index_en.htm

SPACE

European Space Industrial policy

Last February, the Commission adopted a Communication setting out a European space policy (see IP/13/172 and MEMO/13/146) designed to unleash the full growth potential of businesses operating in the sector.

The Competitiveness Council will adopt formal conclusions welcoming the Communication as a useful basis for discussion and acknowledging the importance of the objectives identified by the Commission. These include the setting up of a coherent regulatory framework, the development of a strong industrial basis, support to the global competitiveness of the European space industry, the development of a thriving market for space applications and services, as well as guaranteeing Europe’s technological non-dependence and independent access to space.

On this occasion, Vice-President Tajani will welcome the broad general support of the Council to the strategy set out by the Commission, while requesting stronger support from Member States for the implementation work to follow.

More information:

http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/space/industry_en

Space Surveillance and Tracking Support Programme (SST)

On 28 February, the Commission adopted a proposal establishing a programme to support the establishment of a Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) service at European level (see IP/13/172 and MEMO/13/149). The purpose of the service is to provide alerts aimed at reducing the risk of collision between spacecraft and between spacecraft and debris as well as the risks linked to uncontrolled re-entry of non-operational spacecraft or large debris. An EU initiative to support the setting up of an SST service at European level is a long-standing request of Member States.

The Commission's proposal aims to encourage Member States with relevant space surveillance means to work together and pool those means in order to provide the EU with space surveillance and tracking services.

Vice-President Tajani will welcome the Presidency’s work and progress report on the legislative examination of the Commission’s proposal and encourage the Competitiveness Council to proceed to a swift adoption of this crucial programme.

More information:

http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/space/security_en

Copernicus

Copernicus, previously known as GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security), is the European Programme for the establishment of a European capacity for Earth Observation.

Last February, the European Council proposed to finance Copernicus within the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and allocated within the MFF a maximum of €3 786 billion to the Programme.

In this context, Vice-President Tajani will present to the Competitiveness Council the proposal for the Copernicus Programme regulation that will be adopted on 29 May, stressing the importance of the initiative for protecting the European environment and for the safety of European citizens, while creating opportunities for growth and employment. As such, Vice-President Tajani will stress to the Competitiveness Council the urgency of adopting the regulation and of making the Programme operational.

More information:

http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/space/copernicus_en

EU-ESA relations

On 14 November 2012, the Commission adopted a Communication on “Establishing appropriate relations between the EU and the European Space Agency (ESA)” setting out its vision for the framework of the future relations between the European Union and ESA.

As a follow-up to the Conclusions adopted by the Council 19 February last on the subject, Vice-President Tajani will provide a short update of the work done since in this respect by the Commission and its current thinking on how to move forward.

More information:

http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/space/international-aspects_en