Industry Ministry Permanent Secretary discusses competitiveness of industry in Brussels

High energy prices are the biggest obstacle industry faces, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry, Marios Panayides, said during the Competitiveness Council of the EU which was held in its internal market and industry configuration in Brussels on 22 May.

According to a press release, during a discussion on boosting competitiveness and how EU policies can be adapted to support traditionally strong industries, Panayides stressed that the biggest obstacle to the functioning of industry remains high energy prices.

He also referred to the need to simplify and align procedures regarding investment, and to upgrade infrastructure and train the industrial workforce.

During a discussion on public procurement and its role in increasing competitiveness, Panayides pointed out that the objectives of the green and digital transition do not always go hand in hand with the objectives for competitiveness and the participation of SMEs.

He proposed the creation of a centralised mechanism to ensure coherence between sectoral policies and procurement procedures, giving flexibility for Member States to define their national priorities in the framework of a common EU strategy.

In a discussion on the role of the Council of the EU in reducing red tape and promoting business-friendly regulations, Panayides advocated for greater involvement of the Council, and stressed the importance of early involvement of all parties in the legislative process, exchange of best practices and EU support to smaller member states to assess the impact of regulations.

The Council also approved a negotiating mandate for the trilogue with the European Parliament on the European Commission's proposal for a regulation to reduce red tape for the posting of workers.

During the meeting, the Commission's executive vice-president for industrial strategy, Stephane Sejourne, presented the Single Market Strategy to the ministers. Panayides welcomed the inclusion of a section on the support of small and medium-sized enterprises as well as the Commission's intention to further digitise and strengthen the enforcement of existing and new legislation.

Finally, Panayides participated in a working lunch on the removal of administrative barriers based on the work of the Special Market Enforcement Task Force (SMET) on the posting of workers in the context of cross-border service provision.

(Source: CNA)