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BusinessEurope completed a timely mission to China to discuss with key stakeholders the way forward for the EU-China relations. Our delegation, including Director General Markus J. Beyrer and Deputy DG Luisa Santos, engaged with high-level Chinese officials from the Ministry of Commerce (Mofcom) and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). BusinessEurope also held its annual dialogue with the Chinese Centre for International Economic Exchanges and held meetings with the EU Delegation, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China and BDI. During these engagements, the BusinessEurope delegation emphasised that China will remain a vital trade and investment partner for the EU, but the growing imbalances in the bilateral economic relationship must be addressed. The EU uses trade defence tools in a WTO-compliant way considering the overall EU interests when adopting the measures – China should acknowledge this approach and follow a similar one. Read our full paper on EU-China relations.
Presidents and Directors General of BusinessEurope’s member federations gathered in Warsaw today at the invitation of our Polish member Lewiatan, where they discussed economic priorities with Polish leaders. The Polish EU Presidency, beginning alongside the new European Commission’s term, presents a vital opportunity to reboot EU policies and drive investment and growth. Presenting our Warsaw Declaration outlining business priorities, President Fredrik Persson emphasised: "To remain an anchor of peace, prosperity, and stability, Europe must act decisively to strengthen its economy and close the widening competitiveness gap with major global players. Security will be the central theme of the incoming presidency, and today we underline that a strong and competitive economy is the foundation for Europe’s security.” - Read more
Today, we have published a new paper outlining our priorities for EU-China relations over the coming EU cycle. How should the EU engage with China in an ever challenging geopolitical context? Watch our DG Markus J. Beyrer comment on the evolving dynamics, key challenges, and strategic responses, presenting our new paper.
A robust intellectual property policy is key to boosting innovation, productivity, and competitiveness. What’s needed to unleash its potential and help make Europe an attractive hub for investment? Our Director Pedro Oliveira and Senior Adviser Elena Bertolotto explain.
“Achieving our ambitions on sustainability, social progress, and higher living standards depends on a strong economic foundation. Yet, in recent years, the EU’s economic engine has slowed significantly. As highlighted in the Draghi Report, the EU must take decisive action to avoid the 'slow agony' of stagnation. Now it will be crucial to see delivery on the promise to make it easier to do business in Europe” this was the message of our Director General Markus J. Beyrer today at the Macroeconomic Dialogue with the European Central Bank and the EU institutions. Beyrer presented our new Economic Outlook: “The EU economy is projected to grow by just 0.9% in 2024 and 1.3% in 2025 – both figures are downward revisions of 0.3 and 0.5 percentage points compared to our last forecast. Over the two-year period from the second quarter of 2022 to the second quarter of 2024, the EU economy grew by only 1.2%. Businesses in the manufacturing sector continue to face challenging times as energy prices remain high compared to major competitors. Most worryingly, industrial capacity utilisation had fallen below 80% by September 2024, back to levels last seen in late 2020.” - Read more in the Economic Outlook
On October 28-29, industry leaders and policymakers from across Europe gathered in Sønderborg, Denmark, for the Powering European Industry conference. The conference discussed necessary strategies and action to reinvigorate European competitiveness. It was hosted jointly by our Danish member DI, Danfoss, the International Energy Agency and BusinessEurope. “Securing energy at competitive prices is central to preserving Europe’s industrial base and ensuring global competitiveness for European companies,” said our Director General Markus J. Beyrer. The high energy costs place Europe at a significant disadvantage compared to other major economies, underlined our recent energy study, conducted in partnership with Compass Lexecon.