Verheugen gives a boost to industries

Date: 29/09/05

Europe's car, shipbuilding and waste-management industries are just three of 27 sectors that will get a business boost under a five-year policy programme to be unveiled next week (5 October) by Industry Commissioner Günter Verheugen, a better regulation champion.

In preparation for the move, the European Commission has screened 27 sectors including food and lifesciences, basic goods such as raw materials, fashion, and machine and system industries.

The aim is to reduce the administrative burden on these sectors to improve their competitiveness against the onslaught of foreign competition from places like China.

Verheugen has already said that the automobile, construction and waste industries are part of the screening process, because they are "economically significant and heavily regulated".

According to sources, pharmaceutical, biotech, clothing, footwear and metals industries are also on the list.

The communication will set out a working programme to deal with the legislative process in the different sectors, which is likely to see many existing regulations stripped down or repealed altogether.

"The communication will be different from previous industrial policy measures because it targets specific industries as well as laying out this horizontal approach," said a spokesman for the Commission.

Article anticipates the presentation of a Communication by the European Commission on a five-year programme aiming at reducing the administrative burden on a number of industry sectors to improve their competitiveness. The Communication, to be presented on 5 October 2005, was expected to set out a working programme to deal with the legislative process in the different sectors, which had been thoroughly screened by the European Commission, suggesting in many cases to modify or repeal regulation.