At the informal Competitiveness Council, on 14 July in Brussels, the 27 industry ministers asked the Belgian EU Presidency to come to an agreement with the European Parliament on the directive to combat late payment in commercial transactions. This was the only information that came out of the meeting held in Louvain-La-Neuve (in the absence of a telephone network in the buildings). The Presidency received a mandate from the Council and Belgian Minister for Industry and SMEs, Jean-Claude Marcourt, even spoke of a “first success of a legislative nature”. With the European Parliament set to take a stance on the proposal in October, some expect a political agreement in the Council at more or less the same time. This proposal is an overhaul of Directive 2000/35/EC aimed at reducing the frequency of payment delays in commercial transactions and shortening the payment periods implemented by public administrations.