To make the digital and green transition possible, Europe needs to develop industry capacities in key technologies like solar energy, wind turbines, batteries, heat pumps or renewable hydrogen. This is particularly critical in a moment in which the world is in a global competition to lead the production of this technologies.
Ministers are expected to take a negotiating position (‘general approach’) on the regulation to strengthen Europe’s net-zero technologies manufacturing sector in Europe, better known as Net Zero Industry Act, that was adopted by the Commission on 16 March 2023. This proposal is a crucial legislation to reinforce the strategic open autonomy of Europe, one of the main priorities of the Spanish presidency of the council.
EU industrial policy (background information)
Forced labour – Policy debate
The meeting will continue with for a policy debate on the proposal of the Regulation on prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market. The proposal of a regulation was presented by the Commission on 14 of September 2022, and aims at prohibiting in the internal market products made with forced labour, as well as their exporting from the EU market. Ministers will be invited to provide their views based on a document prepared by the presidency.
European Commission Regulation on prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market
SME policy – Exchange of views
During the lunch, ministers will discuss on SME policy with an exchange of views. On 12 September 2023 the Commission presented a package of measures to relief the Small and Medium Enterprises. Following this communication, Ministers are going to discuss on measures to support SMEs. The discussion will be based on a document prepared by the presidency.
European Commission’s communication ‘SME relief package’
Also on the agenda
The agenda of the Council also has six points under Any Other Business:
- information by the Presidency on the state of play of legislative files
- presentation by the Commission on the 2023 report of the SME envoy network to the Competitiveness Council
- presentation by the Commission on the Communication on enhancing the European administrative Space
- information from the Danish, French and German delegations on ‘Reducing administrative burden for companies in unprecedented times’
- information from the Danish, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Luxembourgish, Slovenian and Swedish delegations on the entry into operation of the Unified Patent Court
- presentation of the work programme of the incoming Belgian Presidency