Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the Heads of State and Government of the European Union have set themselves the goal of turning the European Union into a truly dynamic, competitive, knowledge-based economic area over the next ten years. We will have to make enormous efforts to achieve this and it will only be possible if we succeed in mobilising the forces which are currently slumbering in European enterprises and in European research and training establishments, in the context of an open market economy. We are on the right path. I found what Mr Prodi said yesterday very encouraging. Soon, the single currency will be introduced and an optimum currency area will be created through enhanced mobility within the European Union. We are moving forwards in terms of protecting intellectual property, which is also important if we want to mobilise research. I believe that the European patent is an important step along this road. We also need to move more quickly in liberalising telecommunications, energy and the postal services, if we want to get closer to these goals. We also need to create a European economic policy based on common principles and I am convinced that can only be done in terms of a social market economy. But the question is this: who is responsible for this economic policy? Or are the responsibilities different? There are areas which are clearly allocated to the European Union: the area of competition, where the European Union has the strongest powers; the area of monetary stability, which is monitored by the European Central Bank, and the Stability and Growth Pact – these are the most important instruments. They are the areas which fall to the European Union. There are other areas where responsibility clearly lies with the Member States, such as taxes, social security systems and training. Here, Europe can only make a contribution through dialogue; it is not empowered to make decisions. As far as the collection of data is concerned, which Mr Bullmann proposed, my opinion is that, clearly, for us in the European Union, the areas where the European Union makes decisions must be given top priority. In areas in which the European Union contributes through dialogue, the collection of data need only be accorded secondary priority. Where do I think these priorities lie? In which areas will we need more information before long? We need more up-to-date information for example on the development of GDP and its components. We need more data on the growth of services in the European Union. We know a great deal about production in the European Union but too little about the development of services. At the moment, we have inadequate data on the balance of payments of Euroland, and these are fundamental principles which underpin decision making, for example when the European Central Bank takes its decisions on interest rates. As regards other data, the essential thing is to get a dialogue going in order to come up with the principles of benchmarking. I must make it very clear that, in the case of data collected in this area, I would regard it as disastrous if, once it is available, such data was misused for planned economic intervention in the economic affairs of the European Union, and we need to build in the relevant safeguards in advance. This data, which I believe, in full agreement with Mr Bullmann, we need, must be used to increase competition between Member States. By having common borders on the outside and open borders on the inside allowing the free circulation of people, goods, services and capital, we in the European Union have created competition not only between enterprises but also between Member States, which is aimed at offering the people of Europe the services they expect from the state at better prices and under better conditions. It is my firm belief that the data mentioned in the Bullmann report should be used for this purpose. (Applause) IN THE CHAIR: MRS FONTAINEPresident

Political group: PPE-DE