Verheugen to present new coherent industry policy[fr][de] 

The latest industry policy communication will be adopted by the Commission on 5 October 2005. The Commission proposes seven actions specifically geared to individual sectors such as the pharmaceutical, chemicals or ICT sector. It furthermore suggests seven initiatives with a cross-sectoral dimension to address common challenges for all the manufacturing industries and reinforce synergies between different EU policy areas:

• an initiative on intellectual property rights and counterfeiting (to be presented in 2006):
• the creation of a high-level group on competitiveness, energy and the environment,  consisting of the commissioners of these policy areas and stakeholders, to enhance policy coherence and consistency (from end 2005);
• actions on the external aspects of competitiveness and international markets access (from spring 2006);
• simplification of EU legislation in the areas of automotives, construction and waste (Oct. 2005);
• actions to improve sectoral skills (2006);
• measures to manage economic restructuring in the manufacturing industries (end 2005);
• a new European approach to industrial research and innovation (end 2005).

The Barroso Commission clearly does not want a return to old 70s style industrial policy and does not believe in the French concept of fostering "European champions". In its communication it sees the role of public authorities in industry policy as limited to acting only when market failures justify government intervention. In the communication, the Commission states that it wants to avoid "a return to selective interventionist policies".