04/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/08/2024 07:29
Ministers Le Maire, Habeck and Urso met today in Meudon (France)
Bruno Le Maire, France's Minister for Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, Robert Habeck, German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, and Adolfo Urso, Italian Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy discussed today perspectives on the development of green and digital technologies to enhance technological leadership, productivity, competitiveness and economic growth in Europe, with the European Council's Strategic Agenda for 2024-2029 in Hindsight. Representatives from the industry attended the meeting, located in Meudon at Hangar Y, and enriched the debate.
Against the backdrop of accelerating climate change and significant geopolitical challenges, including Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the European Union adopted with the Green Deal an unprecedented policy agenda to become the first climate-neutral continent in the world, build resilience, reduce strategic dependencies and improve European long-term competitiveness. As the European Union nears the end of the 2019-2024 cycle, the three Ministers built common understanding of the opportunities and challenges ahead, in particular those raised by the 'twin', green and digital transition.
While European economies have been lagging behind other major economies coming out of the pandemic Bruno Le Maire, Robert Habeck and Adolfo Urso recognised that urgent action is needed to unlock the technological and innovation potential of European firms. They agreed that EU industrial policy should combine a well-targeted support to strategic industries while fostering a high level of competition in the single market and reducing the bureaucratic burden. Such support shall help industrials, entrepreneurs, SMEs and researchers get access tp the exceptional talents, research & innovation capacities, cutting-edge industrial equipment and state-of-the art processes they deserve. Europe must remain an industrial powerhouse.
The three ministers committed to continue to build on the Green Deal and the Green Deal Industrial Plan to achieve an ambitious growth agenda for the next five years in the EU for which the following points are crucial:
1. Ambitiously eliminate unnecessary administrative burden to unleash the full potential of European businesses for investment, innovation and growth in Europe.
2. Boost private and public investment to strengthen innovation, productivity and competitiveness
To make the twin transitions a success, both private and public investment will have to increase. This requires primarily an environment that is conducive to private investment. This should include:
3. Pursue the green and digital transitions further with a strong and resilient economic basis
Following the Versailles declaration of March 2022, the Granada declaration of October 2023 highlighted that significant progress has been achieved in a record-time to reduce our dependencies, diversify and strengthen our economic base. They agreed to continue the work on the resilience and global long-term competitiveness of the European Union, making sure that the EU has all the necessary tools to secure sustainable and inclusive growth and global leadership in this crucial decade. In this spirit, the three Ministers recognised the relevance of the Antwerp Declaration in which European industry stakeholders promoted a European Industrial Deal.
Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty said :
« These trilateral meetings on European industrial policy between our three countries are effective and producing concrete results. Europe needs to rediscover its economic strength, its ability to take risks and innovate, and the prosperity of its citizens. If we are to succeed, we urgently need to define a European economic strategy. One of the main pillars of this strategy is simplification and the reduction of red tape. Standards are expensive. We have agreed today to eliminate unnecessary administrative burdens and release the full potential of European businesses. We have also confirmed the need to guarantee a fair competitive framework for our companies, in the face of China and the United States. These are strong positions that we will defend together during the next European term of office. »
Dr. Habeck Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action said:
"We need to boost European competitiveness. In order to unleash the economic power of companies it is essential to eliminate unnecessary administrative burden and speed up authorisation procedures without sacrificing necessary protection standards. Innovative technologies such as biotechnology and green technologies in wind, solar and transformation industries are key to economic growth, climate neutrality and our technological sovereignty in the near future and therefore need a favourable investment environment. Our exchange also underlined the need for greater European synergies in our defence industries, which is crucial in my view."
Adolfo Urso, Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy :
« Amidst the swiftly shifting geopolitical risks, the strategic partnership among Italy, France, and Germany emerges as pivotal in propelling economic security, competitiveness, innovation and sustainability across the EU. We affirm our steadfast commitment to bolstering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and simplifying regulatory frameworks to stimulate growth in the green and digital sectors. At the heart of our collaborative endeavors lies the consolidation of financial resources at the European level, driving forward technological breakthroughs and reinforcing the economic bedrock of our region. Furthermore, we acknowledge the paramount importance of securing strategic autonomy in key sectors, such as green technologies and steel sector, even as we confront global challenges, and advancing environmental and health protection standards coherently with internationally recognized norms and guidelines. »