Council Conclusions on the competitiveness of business-related services
Date: 2004-04-06
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: European undertaking, competitiveness, provision of services, service

6.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 86/9

— ensuring that the State aids framework is appropriately targeted towards addressing market failures

that inhibit entrepreneurial and innovative activity;

— enhancing mechanisms to strengthen the dialogue between entrepreneurs and policy makers, and

improving access to information;

— raising the profile of successful entrepreneurs and of entrepreneurship policies, including an exam-

ination of the feasibility of establishing a ‘European Centres of Enterprise’ awards scheme;

— identifying and jointly agreeing indicators of performance and progress as a basis for the subsequent
voluntary setting of targets for increased entrepreneurial activity, taking into account global markets;

— examining the European Charter for small enterprises in the light of priorities identified in the
Commission's Entrepreneurship Action Plan, within the same timeframe as the mid-term review of
in order to ensure that it reflects in a coherent way the specific needs of
the Lisbon strategy,
entrepreneurs and small businesses in an enlarged European Union;

— streamlining all reporting arrangements between the Member States and the Commission in respect

of the Charter and other related instruments.

COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS

on the competitiveness of business-related services

(2004/C 86/03)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

1. RECALLING

— the crucial role of services in the European economy and their potential for productivity growth and
employment creation, in particular in the context of achieving the objectives of the Lisbon strategy;

— the efforts being made in the context of the integrated strategy for competitiveness for improving
industry and business in general, promoting secure and favourable

the competitiveness of
framework conditions and encouraging entrepreneurship;

2. WELCOMES the Commission's communication on ‘the Competitiveness of Business-related Services (1)
and their contribution to the performance of European enterprises’ (2) and RECOGNISES that
the
measures identified by the Commission could contribute to increasing productivity growth and
employment;

3. RECOGNISES that the proposed framework directive on services in the Internal Market constitutes an
important element in improving the competitiveness of business-related services and UNDERTAKES to
examine this proposal as a matter of priority;

4. WELCOMES, therefore, the intention of the Commission to establish a goal-oriented European Forum on
business-related services for the purpose of effectively consulting stakeholders and other experts in its
development of an Action Plan for business-related services;

(1) As defined in the Commission's communication, business-related services consist of four major groups of activities,
namely business services, distributive trades, network services and financial services, performing in different market
conditions.

(2) Doc. 15933/03 COMPET 82 MI 316 IND 182 ECO 270.

C 86/10

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

6.4.2004

5. In the light of the Commission's analysis and in the context of improving the competitiveness of

business-related services, STRESSES in particular the need for action on a European level to:

— develop the internal market and competitive framework conditions for business related services in
order to improve competition, strengthen market integration and meet global competitive chal-
lenges;

— promote continuous learning and updating of skills of the labour force and stimulate the integration

of ICT into business processes in order to improve productivity;

— improve the understanding of linkages between business-related services and other sectors of the

economy, in particular the manufacturing industries and the public sector;

— improve statistical information: business-related services are of considerable economic importance to
instruments for achieving better
information should be

the EU. Better data and economic analysis constitute essential
knowledge and determining policy choices.
achieved whilst minimising the overall administrative burden;

Improvements in statistical

— encourage R&D and non-technological

innovation, the establishment of voluntary standards for
services products and the further development of business-related services in regional and local
markets;

6. LOOKS FORWARD to the development of a well targeted Action Plan for business-related services and
accompanying timetable and WELCOMES the intention of the Commission to present this early in 2005
to complement the measures contained in the proposed Framework Directive on Services.

COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION

of 30 March 2004

regarding guidelines for taking samples of seized drugs

(2004/C 86/04)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Whereas:

Bearing in mind:

The 1961 United Nations Single Convention on narcotic drugs,
as amended by the 1972 amending Protocol,

The 1971 United Nations Convention on Psychotropic
Substances,

The 1988 United Nations Convention against illicit traffic in
narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances,

The European Union Action Plan on Drugs 2000-2004,
approved by the Feira European Council of June 2000,

The Council Decision 2001/419/JHA of 28 May 2001 on the
transmission of samples of controlled substances (1),

The guidelines on representative drug sampling adopted by the
European Network of Forensic Science Institutes in November
2003,

(1) One of

the objectives of
progressively to establish an area of
and justice.

the European Union is
freedom, security

(2) It is important within that area to comprehensively and
related to

including crime

effectively combat
organised trafficking in drugs.

crime,

(3) The

terms

‘drugs’

substances’

and ‘psychotropic

are
understood as the substances listed in the corresponding
United Nations Conventions and any substance that
is
subject to control measures pursuant to Article 5(1) of
Joint Action 97/396/JHA of 16 June 1997 concerning
the
and the
information exchange,
control of new synthetic drugs (2).

risk assessment

(4) The collection, analysis, and dissemination of objective,
reliable and comparable data on the drugs phenomenon
should be assured, as laid down in the European Union
Action Plan on Drugs.

(1) OJ L 150, 6.6.2001, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 167, 25.6.1997, p. 1.