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In a lively exchange of views led by USCIB President Thomas Niles, Commissioner Liikanen addressed a variety of topics reflecting his role as the member of the European Commission responsible for information technology initiatives, including regulation of telecommunications and IT services, cyber-security and measures to combat spam. Members also raised the recently-unveiled EU chemicals directive and how to promote industry action on climate change.
On enlargement, Mr. Liikanen noted a Commission study released just days before that tracked candidate countries’ progress toward implementation of both the terms of enlargement and specific EU legislation. He said the tremendous economic and technological potential of the new members spurred a sense of optimism about growth prospects in the soon-to-be 25-member Union.
The Commissioner acknowledged flaws in the Commission’s original proposal on chemicals regulation, saying many of these had been corrected in the final draft sent to the European Parliament in October. The directive, known as REACH (“registration, evaluation and authorization of chemicals”) sets out a broad testing, data registration and authorization system for chemicals – and the products made from them – in circulation in the European Union. Mr. Liikanen asserted that the directive’s potential implementation costs had been brought down to under $3 billion over ten years.
But Mr. Liikanen said the Commission’s newly-adopted procedures for soliciting public comment had improved the proposal, and that the process had reminded many in the EU of the importance of the chemicals industry in Europe.
Ongoing initiatives on e-commerce, where the Commission has put forward a proposal to encourage vigorous competition, and protection of pharmaceutical patents were among the other topics discussed at the lunch.
Staff contact: Kris Knutsen
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