BusinessEurope and the entire European business community congratulate the new Members of the European Parliament on their election and welcome the strong voter turnout across the continent that proves that citizens care about Europe. BusinessEurope President Fredrik Persson said: "EU elections have seen a clear winner. We urge the main political forces to organise the pro-European majority in the European Parliament to take the necessary action to improve competitiveness and agree upon the future EU leaders as soon as possible. Economic ambition, political stability and predictability are key for the EU’s economic growth and its attractiveness for investment which are the prerequisite of the wellbeing of European citizens. To deliver for society, the EU needs strong companies as much as European companies need a strong European Union to succeed. This was our key message leading up to the elections, where we also called for a reboot in EU policies to safeguard Europe’s competitiveness." - Read more
With the European elections only days away, today we release our Spring Economic Outlook which bolsters our call for a reboot in EU policymaking to ensure Europe’s competitiveness and strengthen its industrial base. The report shows that EU businesses now expect the EU economy to grow by 1.2% in 2024, increasing to 1.8% in 2025. This is a 0.4 pp downward revision for 2024 in comparison to our Autumn Economic Outlook. Commenting on the report, BusinessEurope Director General, Markus J. Beyrer noted, "There are signs that growth in the EU economy may bounce back a little this year, with rising real wages and the prospect of lower interest rates both likely to increase demand. But improvements in overall EU output must not distract us from the huge challenges being faced by the industrial sector, particularly as a result of high energy prices and an increasing regulatory burden. EU industrial output remains barely above pre-Covid levels, with capacity utilisation at its lowest level since 2013 (if the Covid period is excluded)." - Read the full report here.
On 17 May, BusinessEurope participated in the B7 Summit in Rome together with leaders of the other business federations from the G7 countries. Director General Markus J. Beyrer in his keynote intervention underlined that “We have very different economic realities among G7 countries, but there is one thing that unites G7 economies: we want to improve our competitiveness to achieve more economic growth.” To support our shared competitiveness, G7 countries need to coordinate on industrial subsidies and have a joint approach to address overcapacity, avoiding unilateral actions that go against multilateral commitments. We should increase our economic resilience and maintain high ambition on carbon emissions targets. B7 delegates also had an opportunity to share their views on the challenges facing G7 countries with the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. - Read more
Europe Day held on 9 May celebrates peace and unity in Europe. This year, just a month before the European elections, it is an especially important occasion to reflect on the direction the EU should take in the coming years to deliver for its citizens and companies. The European business community has always been a strong supporter of the European project, we believe in the power of democracy to shape a brighter future. BusinessEurope team proudly stands together to encourage everyone to use their vote in the upcoming European Parliament elections on 6-9 June 2024. We are proud to be an official European Parliament’s communication partner for this election. Let's go and vote for a brighter, more prosperous future for all.
On 23 April, BusinessEurope and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted the Transatlantic Business Works Summit at the Chamber's headquarters in Washington, D.C. Entitled "Driving competitiveness in a changing world", the Summit fostered discussions on broadening the $8.7 trillion commercial relationship between Europe and the United States. Director General Markus J. Beyrer emphasised that "In a world of rapid change and uncertainty, we need to be clear about the economic and geopolitical importance of the Transatlantic relationship. We must stress to policymakers that, in order to maintain and strengthen this vital partnership, they must focus on reducing the costs of doing business across the Atlantic, address trade irritants, find joint responses to market distortions and overcapacity, and improve coordination on economic security." - Read more - Photos
We launched our campaign for policy changes in the next EU political cycle. BusinessEurope President Fredrik Persson said: “Faced with multiple geopolitical risks and economic uncertainty, the EU must put competitiveness at the forefront and use the next EU cycle to reboot its policies for today’s challenges." - Visit rebooteurope.eu to discover more.
11/06/2024
Press releases
Pro-European majority needs to put competitiveness front and centre
05/06/2024
Reports and studies
Spring Economic Outlook: EU growth to pick up slightly, but challenges remain
20/05/2024
Speeches
B7 Summit in Rome: Leading the transitions together
08/05/2024
News
BusinessEurope team stands together to encourage everyone to #UseYourVote
23/04/2024
Event
Transatlantic Business Works Summit: Driving competitiveness in a changing world
09/04/2024
Video messages
Reboot Europe: Stronger businesses, stronger European Union
2024 is a decisive year for Germany and the world. Fundamental issues are at play: Will the economic revival succeed? Will Europe emerge stronger from the elections? Can we still rely on our most important international partner? How can we strengthen what unites us? Under the motto 'Cohesion in...
This year’s International Tax Conference, taking place in Munich, will provide a platform for an exchange between business representatives, key OECD and EU as well as national government officials. It is jointly organised in cooperation between the ICC, Business@OECD and BusinessEurope.
