BusinessEurope today called for a new kind of European governance to better coordinate national policies and reforms on employment and social protection through a deeper cooperation between social partners, the European Commission and member states. Presenting the latest strategic paper on the future of the social dimension in Europe, Director General Markus J. Beyrer said: “We can be proud of the European social model. The EU has the highest investment in social protection compared to other parts of the world. But only if our European companies can successfully compete globally, they will be able to carry on creating and sustaining good jobs, inclusive growth and wealth”.

Read the paper and watch our video comment.

BusinessEurope today published its Spring Economic Outlook 2019. Presenting the report, BusinessEurope Director General Markus J. Beyrer said: "EU finance ministers meeting today must demonstrate their commitment to enhancing the business environment, raising productivity growth and proving to our international partners that the EU has a growth model that can withstand a fall in global trade." According to BusinessEurope’s outlook, the recent downturn highlights the fragility of the EU economy:

• EU economic growth fell considerably in the second half of 2018;
• We expect for 2019 GDP growth of 1.6% in the EU and 1.3% in the euro area, considerably lower than our autumn forecast;
• Following tentative signs of a rebound in growth already in Q1 this year, we expect growth to pick up in 2020 to 1.7% in the EU and 1.5% in the euro area.