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Europaudvalget 2004-05 (1. samling), Finansudvalget 2004-05 (1. samling)
2612 - økofin Bilag 2, FIU Alm.del Bilag 20
Offentligt

Medlemmerne af Folketingets Europaudvalg

og deres stedfortrædere

Bilag

Journalnummer

400.C.2-0

Kontor

EUK

1. november 2004

Til underretning for Folketingets Europaudvalg vedlægges Finansministeriets

redegørelse for rådsmøde (økonomi- og finansministre) den 21. oktober

2004.

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27. oktobe

12 CHM

Referat fra Rådsmødet (ECOFIN) den 21. oktober 2004

D agsordenspunkt:

Stabilitets- og vækstpagten: Proceduren for

uforholdsmæssigt store underskud. Opfølgning på henstilling til

N ederlandene jf. Traktatens artikel 104(7)

Rådet vurderede på grundlag af en orientering fra Kommissionen, at den neder-

landske regering i overensstemmelse med henstillingen af 2. juni 2004 har iværksat

de anbefalede tiltag inden for tidsfristen den 2. oktober 2004 med henblik på sikre,

at budgetunderskuddet i 2005 bliver mindre end 3 pct. af BNP.

D agsordenspunkt:

Stabilitets- og Vækstpagten: Proceduren

for uforholdsmæssigt store underskud. EU-landenes notifikatio-

ner vedr. offentlige budgetsaldi og offentlig gæld.

Kommissionen redegjorde for medlemslandenes offentlig gælds- og budgetsituati-

on. I flere af medlemslandene havde de offentlige finanser udviklet sig mindre gun-

stigt end forudset i stabilitets- og konvergensprogrammerne trods en mere gunstig

konjunkturudvikling end forudset.

Kommissionen redegjorde desuden for problemerne vedrørende de betydelige æn-

dringer i opgørelsen af de græske offentlige finanser, og Rådet vedtog på baggrund

heraf konklusioner (vedlagt). Kommissionen forventer et underskud på 5,3 pct. af

BNP i år. Kommissionen og Eurostat er i færd med at udrede årsagerne til den

mangelfulde statistik som blandt andet skyldes en generel undervurdering af mili-

tærudgifter. Kommissionen forventer at fremlægge en rapport herom inden ECO-

FIN den 16. november.

Kommissionen understregede behovet for at sikre integritet og uafhængighed i den

nationale statistik. Som led i dette arbejde forventer Kommissionen inden udgangen

af 2004 at offentliggøre en meddelelse om et kommende forslag til forbedring af

statistikken.

D agsordenspunkt:

regulering

Reform initiativ for bedre

- Metode til måling af

administrative byrder

Rådet vedtog konklusioner (vedlagt) om metode til måling af administrative byrder.

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Rådskonklusionerne hilser et oplæg fra Den Økonomisk-Politiske Komité (EPC)

om en fælles metode til måling af administrative byrder og gennemførelse af pilot-

projekter velkommen. Der er tale om en del af et bredere initiativ, som tager sigte

på at reducere de administrative byrder, der pålægges erhvervslivet i forbindelse

med national- og EU-lovgivning. Endvidere blev kommissionen og medlemslande-

ne opfordret til at overveje udvikling af kvantitative mål for reduktion af de admini-

strative byrder.

Dagsordenspunkt:

Beskyttelse af Fællesskabets finansielle interesser

og bekæmpelse af svig

Kommissionen præsenterede sin årsrapport for beskyttelse af Fællesskabets finan-

sielle interesser og bekæmpelse af svig samt sin handlingsplan for 2004-2005 om

svigbekæmpelse. Kommissionen fremhævede ligeledes behovet for vedtagelse af

forordningen om gensidig administrativ bistand. Rådet blev desuden orienteret om

samarbejdsaftalen med Schweiz om bekæmpelse af svig.

Rådet tog præsentationen til efterretning.

Dagsordenspunkt:

De finansielle perspektiver for 2007-2013

Kommissionen præsenterede uden efterfølgende drøftelse sit forslag vedrørende

rådsafgørelse om egne indtægter. Sagen ventes at blive behandlet på ECOFIN-

mødet i november. Rådet drøftede herefter en række af Kommissionens fleksibili-

tetsforslag. Der var bred enighed om behovet for budgetdisciplin, og at de nuvæ-

rende fleksibilitetsinstrumenter var tilfredsstillende. Rådet drøftede desuden forslag

til en vækstfond. Der var en bred afvisning af at give mulighed for at anvende ufor-

brugte midler til strukturfonde på andre EU-initiativer.

A-punkter

Rådet vedtog uden drøftelse rådskonklusioner (vedlagt) om opfølgning på hand-

lingsplanen for risikokapital.

Diverse

Formandskabet redegjorde under frokosten for status vedr. de finansielle perspek-

tiver 2007-2013.

Endvidere gjorde Præsidenten for Verdensbanken James Wolfensohn status i for-

hold til opfyldelsen af ”Millennium Development Goals” herunder EU’s Barcalon-

amålsætning for 2006.

BILAG

Rådskonklusioner vedrørende græsk budgetstatistik

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“The Council conducted a thorough discussion on the revisions of Greek fiscal

data. It recalled the concerns expressed by Ministers during their informal meet-

ing on 10/11 September. The Ecofin Council took note of the Commission’s

information note on the fiscal notification data of Greece.

The Council welcomed the Commission’s initiative for and looked forward to a

detailed report on Greece’s deficit and debt data back to 1997 to be presented

after examination by the EFC as soon as possible. The Council acknowledged

the willingness and efforts of the Greek authorities to work with the Commission

to clarify issues and urged them to supply all necessary data to finalise the re-

port before the next meeting of the Ecofin Council. On this basis, it will be pos-

sible for the Council and the Commission as well as the Greek government to

draw the necessary consequences each in its domain, to improve the quality of

budgetary data as a matter of priority in order to avoid future problems. Revi-

sions of budgetary data, similar to those that have now been detected in the

case of Greece, must not occur again in the Community.”

Rådskonklusioner vedrørende metode til måling af administrative byrder

“The Council supports the development of a common European methodology to

measure the administrative burden of EU legislation and regulation, as one of

the elements for use in microeconomic assessment of specific new initiatives or

for simplification of existing legislation and in order to improve the evaluation of

policy decisions and results. Ministers agreed that a common European meth-

odology should be based, inter alia, on the recommendations by the EPC and

that the method could be similar, but not necessarily identical, to the Standard

Cost Model (SCM), depending on the results of future pilot projects.

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The Council (Ecofin) welcomes the intention of the Commission to present

shortly a communication on this issue. It invites the Commission to continue the

development of a common methodology, among others by setting up pilot pro-

jects to determine the technical characteristics of the methodology and its appli-

cation both in ex ante and ex post cases. The pilot phase and the successful

application of a method in the EU will require active collaboration by the Mem-

ber States. Ministers agreed to assist the Commission by providing, on request,

the necessary information to carry out assessments. The Council invites the

Commission to present and implement a common European methodology for

the measurement of Administrative Burdens as soon as possible in 2005, after

completion of the pilot phase. It also invites the Commission and the member

states to consider developing quantitative objectives for the reduction of the

administrative burden on business in selected areas at a later stage.

The Council (Ecofin) will return to the topic of regulation, in particular the

issue of competitiveness testing, later in the year. The Council considers it

important that the 2005 Spring European Council should return to this topic

in the context of the Lisbon Mid-Term Review.”

Rådskonklusioner vedrørende opfølgning af handlingsplan for risikokapital

"The Council welcomes the report of the FSC and emphasises the vital role of

risk capital markets for providing equity financing to high-growth small and me-

dium-sized companies, and thus for job creation and the development of a vi-

brant entrepreneurial culture in the EU. Efficient risk capital markets are a key

contribution to a competitive, innovative, dynamic EU economy in accordance

with the Lisbon strategy.

The Council recognises that further work is needed, by the Commission and

Member States as appropriate, to address the complex and multidisciplinary

nature of risk capital markets. Their interaction with a diverse array of policies

(regarding e.g. R&D and innovation, encouragement of entrepreneurship, fos-

tering an SME-friendly environment, social and regional policy, competition is-

sues, taxation, employment, Community financial instruments) should be

properly taken into account.

In particular, the Council:

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–

welcomes the Commission’s plans of continuing to closely follow devel-

opments in the European risk capital market, identifying discrepancies

and carrying out further analysis of aspects of the market where ineffi-

ciencies remain; this should cover the whole financial chain, from seed

investment to exit mechanisms. Opportunities for exit are greatly en-

hanced if there are wellfunctioning and liquid European-wide capital

markets. In this respect, the full implementation of the FSAP and its con-

tinuation in the future are crucial.

encourages enhanced co-operation between all services and institutions

concerned at Community/National/Regional levels; therefore, recom-

mends that further efforts are made, inter alia by means of a consistent

approach at Member States level, to address existing failures and barri-

ers to the development of risk capital markets, on both the supply and

demand sides, including by the sharing of best practices.

finds that the impact of European legislation on risk capital markets

should be properly taken into account when improving and simplifying

the regulatory framework. Noting differences between various Directives

currently in force as to the restrictions posed on investments by institu-

tional investors, the Council invites the Commission to evaluate the ef-

fects of the current rules for investing in private equity/venture capital in

the Life Assurance Directive and to take into account the possibilities for

investing in venture capital in the review of the UCITS Directive, which is

foreseen in the Directive for 2005.

welcomes the intention of the Commission to review state-aid policy for

risk capital.

finds that the new EU framework of capital adequacy rules implementing

the Basel II accord should appropriately take into account the EU lower

risk-profile specificity of risk-capital investments via sufficiently diversi-

fied portfolios and stresses that it shall give special consideration to this

factor in the legislative process leading to the new Capital Adequacy

Framework."

–