§ 28. Mr. McFallTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures were proposed by Her Majesty's Government at the Madrid summit to improve the competitiveness of manufacturing and service industries in(a) the United Kingdom and (b) other member states. [7916]
§ Mr. LangThe Madrid European Council discussed competitiveness on the basis of a report produced by the European Commission's competitiveness advisory group under the chairmanship of Dr. Ciampi. The United Kingdom endorsed, in particular, the emphasis which the report placed on: the need to ensure the effective implementation of the single market, including the introduction of competition into the utilities sector, the need to give effective support to small and medium enterprises, especially through the removal of regulatory obstacles, and the importance of Europe competing effectively with the United States and Asia. The United Kingdom also reiterated its commitment to making progress with trans-European networks.