European ministers responsible for competitiveness will be holding the first edition of a competitiveness 'check-up' meeting, where they are due to discuss the recent scandal which emerged concerning German car manufacturer Volkswagen.

The 'check-up' has been set up by the Luxembourg Presidency as a monitoring device for the evolution of the real economy, which will involve a presentation by the Commission on the latest micro-economic data and trends. The process will aim to ensure that EU policies have a positive impact on the competitiveness of the real economy.

The ministers will also review the programme for better regulation in improving the functioning of the internal market. The Council will also be informed of the progress of the implementation of the unitary patent protection system, which involves a single form of renewal fee, of ownership, of object of property, of a court and uniform protection across EU Member States.

A memorandum of the provisional application of the agreement on a unified patent court will also be held on the sidelines of the sessions. Once established, the court will deal with disputes related to European and unitary patents. The Registry and the court of second instance will hold their headquarters in the Grand Duchy.

The session will end with a lunch, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Economy, Étienne Schneider, which will discuss reform regarding the exchange of the EU emissions trading scheme. The second half of the lunch will be devoted to discussing recent events on emissions controls, particularly the recent revelation the car manufacturer Volkswagen installed software in 11 million of its cars which allowed the vehicles to cheat official emissions tests despite emitting up to 40 times more pollution than permitted by US standards.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Volkswagen models which were comprised were Jetta, 2009-2015; Jetta Sportwagen, 2009-2014; Beetle, 2013-2015; Beetle Convertible, 2013-2015; Audi A3, 2010-2015; Golf, 2010-2015; Golf Sportwagen, 2015; Passat 2012-2015.

 

Photo by Avto Vizitka