On 16 April, BusinessEurope attended an important discussion on the social dimension of the EU at the La Hulpe high-level conference. In his keynote speech, Director General Markus J. Beyrer underlined that social progress can only be built on economic success. European companies are committed to play their role in society, but unfortunately, they are held back by high energy costs, excessive regulation and skills and labour shortages. This hampers Europe’s economic growth and undermines their ability to deliver social progress. For BusinessEurope, the European social agenda should move away from a predominantly regulatory approach to social policy, promote mobility in our Single Market and address labour shortages as well as skills mismatches. - Read the full speech

BusinessEurope highlighted the enormous opportunities for the EU and the U.S. to work together to ensure a successful, just, and inclusive green transition the Transatlantic Labour Dialogue Ministerial meeting. It was organised on 4 April in the margins of the sixth Trade and Technology Council in Leuven, Belgium. “The EU and the U.S. possess the resources and the expertise to drive meaningful change on a global scale if we cooperate to reinforce our shared competitiveness”, President Fredrik Persson said at the event. The business community strongly supports a high-level platform for structured dialogue between the EU and the U.S., and President Persson highlighted the need for structural improvements to allow concrete deliverables going forward. - Read more

During the Tripartite Social Summit on 20 March, EU leaders and business representatives discussed the important of strengthening EU’s economy to achieve our environmental and social goals. President Fredrik Persson highlighted the challenges EU businesses faced in 2023, including geopolitical uncertainty, labour shortages, high energy prices and regulatory overburden. This was also confirmed by this year’s newly published Reform Barometer. The report revealed that the EU’s attractiveness to investors has not improved in the past year compared to our major competitors. Persson emphasised, "Europe's industrial resilience is at risk. Industrial production in the EU was down by 5.7% in January 2024 compared to the same time last year, and quality jobs are at stake. The EU needs to take concrete steps now to strengthen our economy, developing an industrial deal to complement the green deal.” - Read the full speech - Photos