COMPETITIVENESS COUNCIL Brussels, 28-29 May 2018 Internal market, Industry, Space, Research PARTICIPANTS Belgium: Ms Zuhal DEMIR State Secretary for the Fight against Poverty, Equal Opportunities, the Disabled and Science Policy, with responsibility for the Large Cities Mr Jan HOOGMARTENS Deputy Permanent Representative Bulgaria: Mr Emil KARANIKOLOV Minister for Economy Mr Krasimir VALCHEV Minister for Education and Science Czech Republic: Mr Tomáš HŰNER Minister for Industry and Trade Mr Pavel DOLEČEK Deputy Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Mr Jaroslav ZAJÍČEK Deputy Permanent Representative Denmark: Mr Brian MIKKELSEN Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs Ms Vibeke PASTERNAK JØRGENSEN Deputy Permanent Representative Germany: Mr Peter ALTMAIER Head of the Federal Chancellery, Federal Minister for Special Tasks and Federal Minister for Finance Mr Thomas RACHEL Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Education and Research Ms Claudia DÖRR-VOSS Secretary of State Mr Peter RÖSGEN Deputy Permanent Representative Estonia: Ms Kadri SIMSON Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure Mr Clyde KULL Deputy Permanent Representative Ireland: Mr Pat BREEN Minister of State at the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Justice and Equality with special responsibility for Trade, Employment, Business, the EU Single Digital Market and Data Protection Mr Joe HACKETT Deputy Permanent Representative Greece: Mr Dimitrios AVLONITIS Secretary General for Commerce & Consumer Protection Ms Matrona KYPRIANIDOU Secretary General for Research and Technology Mr Argyris MAKRIS Deputy Permanent Representative Spain: Ms Carmen VELA OLMO State Secretary for Research, Development and Innovation Mr Juan ARISTEGUI Deputy Permanent Representative France: Ms Frédérique VIDAL Minister for Higher Education, Research and Innovation Ms Delphine GÉNY-STEPHANN Minister of State to the Minister for the Economy and Finance Croatia: Ms Nataša MIKUŠ ŽIGMAN State Secretary, Ministry of the Economy, Enterprise and Small Business Mr Željko KOVAČEVIĆ Mertens Italy: Mr Giovanni PUGLIESE Deputy Permanent Representative Cyprus: Mr Adronikos KYRIAKIDIS Mertens Latvia: Ms Līga LEJIŅA State Secretary, Ministry of Education and Science Ms Alise BALODE Deputy Permanent Representative Lithuania: Mr Marius SKUODIS Deputy Minister in Ministry of Economy Mr Giedrius VILIŪNAS Deputy Minister for Education and Science Luxembourg: Mr Étienne SCHNEIDER Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Economic Affairs, Minister for Internal Security, Minister for Defence Mr Marc HANSEN Minister for Housing, Minister Delegate for Higher Education and Research Hungary: Mr Krisztián KECSMÁR Minister of State for European and International Judicial Cooperation, Ministry of Justice Mr Tibor STELBACZKY Deputy Permanent Representative Mr József PÁLINKÁS President, National Research, Development and Innovation Office Malta: Mr Christian CARDONA Minister for the Economy, Investment and Small Business Mr Lorenzo VELLA Deputy Permanent Representative Netherlands: Mr Ronald VAN ROEDEN Deputy Permanent Representative Austria: Mr Heinz FASSMANN Federal Minister for Education, Science and Research Mr Thomas OBERREITER Deputy Permanent Representative Poland: Mr Marcin OCIEPA Deputy State Secretary, Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Technology Mr Sebastian SKUZA Deputy State Secretary, Ministry of Science and Higher Education Portugal: Mr Manuel HEITOR Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education Mr Paulo Alexandre FERREIRA State Secretary attached to the Minister for the Economy, with responsibility for Trade Romania: Mr Dănuţ ANDRUŞCĂ Minister of Economy Mr Nicolae BURNETE Minister for Research and Innovation Slovenia: Mr Tomaž BOH State Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport Ms Metka IPAVIC Deputy Permanent Representative Slovakia: Mr Rastislav CHOVANEC State Secretary at the Ministry of the Economy Ms Petra VARGOVÁ Deputy Permanent Representative Finland: Ms Minna KIVIMÄKI Deputy Permanent Representative Sweden: Ms Ann LINDE Minister for EU Affairs and Trade Ms Malin CEDERFELDT ÖSTBERG State secretary for Higher Education and Research United Kingdom: Mr Oliver HENLEY Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Government Spokesperson, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Mr Sam GYIMAH Minister for Higher Education, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Department for Education Commission: Mr Andrus ANSIP Vice-President Ms Elżbieta BIEŃKOWSKA Member Ms Věra JOUROVÁ Member Ms Mariya GABRIEL Member .