Cyprus' Energy Minister, Michael Damianos stressed the importance of strengthening Europe's competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy amid geopolitical uncertainty, speaking to the press ahead of the Competitiveness Council (Internal Market) in Brussels on Thursday morning.
"It is extremely important for Europe to strengthen its competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy" Damianos said, noting that the Council's work is focused on the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) and the 28th regime, as a follow-up to the political message of "one Europe, one market," with the aim of advancing discussions as much as possible within the remaining month of the Cyprus Presidency.
The Minister noted that this is the final Competitiveness Council meeting under the Cyprus EU Presidency, stressing that "in the last few months, our discussions have been both focused and necessary." As he put it, "under great geopolitical uncertainty, Europe has to strengthen its competitiveness, strategic autonomy and resilience."
The broader mood among Ministers arriving at the Council reflected a sense of urgency around the revision of Europe's industrial policy tools. With the IAA as the central item on the agenda, discussions are expected to focus on which countries and products would fall under a "made in Europe" framework, and whether this should be extended to a "made with Europe" concept, as pushed by countries such as Germany, to include like-minded partners like the United States.
Ministers will also take up the question of low-carbon criteria and the risk of Single Market fragmentation, as well as the competitive challenge posed by third countries such as China. The China question is also expected to feature prominently on Friday, when the College of Commissioners has scheduled a dedicated in-depth discussion on the topic.
