On Tue, 24 Feb 1998, Javier SOLA wrote:
> >Try to understand this: you cannot sell a no-competition policy.
> >The UK government has made it very clear that they won't buy it.
> >Neither will the European Union (hint: the UK currently has the
> >EU Presidency). Pretending that there is only one way that competition
> >can work is an error. Blind persistence in error costs you support.
>
> I believe that you are quite wrong about the EU position. They are strongly
> against the several-monopoly approach. Check your sources.
I said "no-competition". You said "several monopoly approach". These
are orthogonal issues.
We had a meeting with the Department of Trade and Industry in London
last week. The one point that the chair of the meeting was emphatic
about was that no-competition was a non-starter.
I repeat: blind persistence in error will cost you support. Trying
to sell a no-competition policy in Brussels or London is not going
to work.
On the other hand, describing the Green Paper approach as a
multiple-monopolies approach WILL work.
However, what is needed is not an argument that will put Brussels
in opposition to Washington. What is needed is an argument that
will work in Washington as well.
-- Jim Dixon VBCnet GB Ltd http://www.vbc.net tel +44 117 929 1316 fax +44 117 927 2015
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