BusinessEurope welcomes the European Commission's acknowledgement of the urgent need to deepen the Single Market, on its 30th anniversary. However, recently proposed actions fall short of addressing barriers to the internal market. For example, 60% of current barriers to the provision of cross-border services are of the same type as 20 years ago, and now also hamper the twin transition. Tangible examples of Single Market barriers are key to understand remaining bottlenecks. BusinessEurope has updated its series of short papers showcasing practical issues across a range of different policy areas: from free movement of goods and services to public procurement, company law or transport. The EU must reinstate the idea of a Single Market as an economic union for free trade without internal barriers. A fully-fledged programme to advance the Single Market integration by removing regulatory barriers to cross-border business operations has the potential to unleash €713 billion by the end of 2029. - Read more
"Trade agreements between the EU and CELAC countries are key to promote ambitious environmental and social standards", BusinessEurope President Fredrik Persson said outlining the European business community’s expectations at the EU-CELAC Business Roundtable. The Summit must demonstrate the EU’s strong commitment to the region, its willingness to trade, invest and contribute to economic growth in Latin America and Caribbean countries. There is a great potential to expand our economic cooperation. The EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement would create one of the largest free trading areas in the world, covering nearly a quarter of global economy and 31% of the world’s goods exports. The Summit is an opportunity for the EU to strengthen its political ties in the region at a time of increasing geopolitical tensions, Persson added. - Read more
Digital trade concerns all businesses – small and large, and from all sectors in the economy, from manufacturing to services. At the same time, digital protectionism – barriers that restrict cross-border data flows and discriminate against goods and services provided by electronic means – is on the rise. BusinessEurope brought together a high-level panel of experts to discuss how to address these challenges and facilitate international digital trade, promote the convergence of digital regulations and create a favourable environment for investments. The panellists included Maria Martin-Prat De Abreu, Deputy Director-General, DG Trade, European Commission; María Aparici González, Deputy Director General for International Trade in Services and Digital Trade, Spanish Secretary of State for Trade; and Daniel Nord, Senior Group Legal Counsel at Ericsson. - Read more
The EU working age population is expected to shrink over the next years and decades with the loss of an additional 35 million persons by 2050. We call for an EU action plan to urgently address labour and skills shortages. This was the main message of BusinessEurope Director General Markus J. Beyrer to European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit. "This trend in EU population dynamics", Beyrer stated, "should be addressed by the European Commission, national governments and social partners to find together the best ways to alleviate its impact on the labour markets. Reducing inactivity rates in Europe, conducting education and training reforms, and targeting third-country migrations are some key actions we recommend." - Read more
The European business community has a clear message for the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU: we need competitive companies to achieve economic and social progress. Watch our President Fredrik Persson explain.
A future-proof electricity market that would incentivise investments in renewable and low-carbon electricity production is key to reach the EU’s ambitious climate targets and guarantee security of supply. This was the key message conveyed by BusinessEurope President Fredrik Persson and Director General Markus J. Beyrer to the European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson. While gas prices have been recently decreasing, they are not expected to come down fully to pre-Covid levels at least until 2026/2027. Persson and Beyrer warned that if the cost differential is not addressed, aside from the industrial shutdowns already observed, it will have serious consequences for the long-standing competitiveness of European companies and the EU's global strength. - Read more
The road to CSRD compliance - Regulated and standardised reporting is here. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) has to be incorporated into member state law by 2024, and with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) being adopted in June this...
The 2023 G20 Delhi summit is the upcoming eighteenth meeting of Group of Twenty (G20), a summit scheduled to take place in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi in 2023. India's presidency began on 1 December 2022, leading up to the summit in the fourth quarter of 2023. Motto for the summit: "One Earth, One...
Under the theme "It is time for action", the WTO 2023 Public Forum will examine how trade can contribute to a greener and more sustainable future. It will explore how trade can facilitate access to environmental goods, services and technologies, help achieving the...
