EuroCommerce is calling for concrete actions, following today’s release of the EU’s much-anticipated Competitiveness Compass and the 2025 Annual Single Market and Competitiveness Report.
Today’s communications reveal that Single Market integration, in particular for services, is at a standstill and EU Competitiveness is not increasing fast enough. Services, which account for 70% of the EU’s GDP, only represent 7.6% of intra-EU trade. Christel Delberghe, Director General, urged for fast action: “Don’t forget the basics! The strength of the EU is its Single Market. We need real harmonisation, more coherent and proportionate rules and a real commitment by Member States and the European institutions to overcome market fragmentation.”
With global challenges ahead, Christel Delberghe added, “EU institutions and Member States must turn words into concrete actions to remove barriers and enhance overall EU competitiveness. Supporting the diverse range of market players, not just the perceived front-runners will ensure that Europe can thrive on the global stage.” She added, “A competitiveness strategy must look beyond manufacturing and include other sectors that can support their deployment at scale”.
President Von der Leyen promised at the start of the current mandate to prioritise investments, simplification and skills to deliver the three pillars of the Competitiveness Compass. While retail and wholesale is adapting to the digital and sustainability transition, investment and skills remain major issues. Delberghe stressed that retailers and wholesalers are uniquely positioned to support the deployment of technologies at scale in Europe, but to do so, they require rules that foster their global competitiveness. She concluded, “Regulatory burden, Single Market fragmentation and lack of enforcement of EU regulation including on online players selling directly to consumers are key barriers.”
