The German Chancellor issued a call in leading European newspapers today for the European Union to refocus its efforts on boosting the single market and industrial growth.
Writing in German business daily Handelsblatt, France's La Tribuneand the Wall Street Journal Europe, Mr Gerhard Schroeder proposed a seven-point agenda for EU leaders to tackle at their next summit in November.
Mr Schroeder's proposals were a mixture of new and old ideas including speeding up EU energy market liberalisation, including full competition by mid-2007; creating a "system of European financial supervision"; and furthering defence industry co-operation, including striving for common arms export controls.
He also called on the European Commission to make a proposal for harmonising corporation tax bases across the 25-nation bloc at the beginning of 2006.
Chancellor Schroeder said industrial competitiveness was crucial for European Union growth and employment and that he was monitoring new laws together with French President Mr Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair.
Mr Schroeder meets Mr Chirac in Berlin today. His suggestion of liberalising energy markets could meet from French opposition as the French government-owned Electricite de France enjoys a privileged position against its privatised competitors.
The German leader also urged other European countries to follow the precedent set by Germany's health, pension and labour market reforms. EU leaders are due to meet in Brussels on November 4th-5th.