Policy committees and working groups

The Financial Affairs Working Group seeks to ensure access to finance on reasonable terms for companies so that they can make the investment that is necessary to drive growth and maintain competitiveness. It promotes properly balanced stability and growth considerations so that financial regulation does not become an unnecessary constraint for the EU economy

The Regional Policy Working Group deals mainly with EU policy relating to the use of EU funds for economic development in member states.

The Green Taxation Working Group deals with European priorities on CO2 and energy taxes, with the energy tax directive and green tax policies across the EU.

The VAT Working Group deals with all issues related to value-added tax (VAT) at the European level and represents our members at the EU VAT Forum.

The Tax Policy Working Group follows corporate tax policy issues at the European level and represents our members at EU tax groups such as the Platform for Tax Good Governance

The Sustainable Finance Task Force discusses the links between sustainable finance, non-financial reporting, corporate governance, EU financing instruments and related topics in the context of the Sustainable Europe / Green Deal investment plan. The task force aims to coordinate and develop input to current discussions on a renewed European sustainable finance strategy.

The Trade and Climate Task Force discusses the links between the two policy fields and how they could complement and enforce each other. The task force aims to contribute constructively to current discussions on the European level by identifying possible policy measures.

The Chemicals Task Force focuses on EU chemicals policy and regulation. It aims to support a regulatory framework that fosters innovation, ensures high safety standards, and maintains the competitiveness of European industries. The task force provides expertise on legislative developments such as REACH and the restrictions on PFAS, promoting a science-based and risk-based approach to chemical management.

The Environment Working Group discusses key issues relating to the circular economy, water management policy, eco-design regulations, industrial emissions and biodiversity legislation. It works to ensure a balanced approach, advocating for ambitious yet practical environmental policies that support both sustainability goals and economic competitiveness

The Research & Innovation Working Group deals with EU research and innovation policies, with an emphasis on creating a better regulatory framework for innovation across Europe. For this, the Working Group actively engages in discussions on structure and funding of research and innovation programmes in Europe.

The Energy and Climate Working Group deals among others with the Energy union - security of supply, energy efficiency, energy prices and costs, power market design - shale gas, the EU emissions trading scheme and international climate negotiations.

The Digital Economy Working Group covers a range of topics, including: the data economy, privacy law, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and the platform economy.

The Better Regulation Working Group seeks to ensure that better regulation tools, such as impact assessments, effective stakeholder participation, and comprehensive burden reduction programmes, are used by all decision-makers to cut red tape and devise proportionate legislation.

The Transport Working Group addresses the obstacles for an efficient single market for the transport sector from a broad perspective, bringing together the views of both transport operators and industry as transport services user at large. It defines BusinessEurope positions with regard to regulatory framework for the cross-border transport service provision, digitalisation of transport solutions, infrastructure financing and inter-operability, and establishes links with the work of the Low-Emission Mobility Task Force

The Free Movement of Services Working Group deals with removing existing and preventing new barriers to freedom to provide services in the EU. It addresses regulatory and administrative barriers and issues of implementation of the key EU legislative acts in this policy area, such as the directives on services (2006/123/EC), on professional qualifications (2005/36/EC) or on a proportionality test before adoption of new regulation of professions (EU 2018/95) .

The Public Contracts Working Group deals mainly with safeguarding transparent and competitive tendering processes to provide the best economic value for taxpayers. The group also works on services of general economic interest and public-private partnerships.

The Free Movement of Goods Working Group deals with removing existing obstacles for goods in the single market. This includes ensuring an effective European standardisation system; promoting the application of mutual recognition; and advocating market surveillance to maintain a level playing field.

The network covers the geographical region of Russia and Central Asia, dealing with all aspects of economic relations with countries in the region.

The US Network aims to provide a platform for discussing how to contribute to the successful conclusion of the negotiations for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership as well as exchanging views on the overall EU-US relationship. It also maintains contacts with business organisations in the United States.

The network covers the whole American continent, with exception of the USA, and deals with all aspects of economic relations with countries in the region, including trade agreements.

The network focuses on the bilateral economic relationship between the EU and China. Important subject areas are the negotiations for a comprehensive agreement on investment and China’s accession to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement. The group also focuses on China’s economic reforms and prepares input for BusinessEurope's participation in high-level bilateral dialogues, such as the regular EU-China Business Summit.

The network covers all Asia (except China) and the Pacific, and deals with all aspects of economic relations with countries in the region - including trade agreements.

The working group focuses on the role the private sector can play in policy-making for development. It also monitors the negotiations and implementation of economic partnership agreements signed between the EU, African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

The working group covers traditional trade defence (anti-dumping, anti-subsidies, safeguards) and new instruments like the International Procurement Instrument or more traditional market access issues including trade and investment barriers.

The group covers a large number of customs policy areas and provides substantial input and output in topics such as the modernisation of the Union Customs Code and the customs chapters of various free-trade agreements. Our experts participate in the EU Trade Contact Group and provide technical input on how to modernise and simplify the EU customs processes for business.

The working group, as its names says, covers all aspects related to economic security, including critical technologies, export controls, investment screening, sanctions and anti-coercion.

The working group covers neighbourhood countries, including the UK and Switzerland, and enlargement countries including Turkey (excluding Ukraine). It deals with aspects related to the enlargement process and economic relations with the countries in the region, including trade and investment arrangements.

The working group promotes multilateral trade liberalisation and prepares recommendations on the WTO work programme, covering negotiations for multilateral and plurilateral agreements. It also promotes the adoption of new rules in the area of multilateral trade.

The Trade and Climate Task Force discusses the links between the two policy fields and how they could complement and enforce each other. The task force aims to contribute constructively to current discussions on the European level by identifying possible policy measures.

The Copyright Working Group deals with the ongoing EU copyright reform. It promotes a well-functioning and flexible copyright system to facilitate the digital evolution including effective enforcement also in the online environment. It supports a balanced approach between rightholders’ rights and the further development and provision of innovative services in the digital economy.

The Patents Working Group seeks to improve the overall patent system in Europe by making sure that the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court become a reality. It is also engaged in international patent cooperation activities between patent offices and businesses (e.g. Trilateral/IP5) to reduce costs, cut red tape and boost legal certainty for companies globally.

The Consumer/Marketing Working Group deals with EU consumer protection legislation and policy (consumer rights, redress, alternative dispute legislation, enforcement and information) as well as marketing law (commercial practices, trade practices and advertising). It promotes a sound and balanced consumer policy and strong consumer dialogue.

The TRIPs Working Group deals with how intellectual property impacts on global societal challenges (e.g. climate change, access to medicine, healthcare, e-waste, food and sanitation technologies). It supports global intellectual property minimum standards through the TRIPs agreement and fights against intellectual property expropriations.

The Accounting Harmonisation Working Group and Sounding Board seek to ensure a set of international financial reporting standards (IFRS) which meet the needs of European companies. It also promotes the USA converging their accounting standards with IFRS with a view to reaching mutual recognition.

The Trade Marks and Designs Working Group focuses on the European trade mark system. Its priority is on implementation of the new EU framework by working with the EU agency responsible for the EU trade mark. It also follows the work of the European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights.

The State Aid Working Group leads the activities related to the EU state aid setting, both on procedural and substantial aspects, to ensure a level playing field across the single market and consistent application of the rules, with appropriate procedures and enforcement. The group also looks into the need to ensure a sensible European approach to subsidies that takes EU’s global competitiveness into account and enables the achievement of European targets in terms, for example, of R&D spending, energy efficiency and regional development.

The Company Law Working Group deals with areas closely linked to the whole lifecycle of companies. This includes their creation (directives on formation requirements, European company forms), governance and relation to their stakeholders (corporate governance codes, shareholders rights and transparency) to their extinction (insolvency and restructuring). It promotes company mobility within the single market and good corporate governance.

The Competition Working Group is responsible for policy issues related to enforcement of EU antitrust rules – abuse of dominance, cartels and mergers. It focuses on horizontal initiatives linked to due process, actions for damages, the European Competition Network, rules on vertical and horizontal agreements among others. It contributes to the work of other groups on issues such as competition in the digital economy and telecoms, and deals with international competition law developments.

The Equal Opportunities Network discusses and prepares positions on issues such as diversity, non-discrimination, gender equality and reconciliation of work and family life.

The Labour Mobility Working Group discusses and prepares positions on issues related to third-country migration, notably EU legislation on economic migration (e.g. blue card directive), policies on labour market integration of refugees/migrants, as well as the issue of intra-EU worker mobility.

The Skills Working Group discusses and prepares positions on issues such as EU skills strategies, learning outcomes, apprenticeships, the European cooperation frameworks on vocational education and training and higher education, and EU education and training tools.

The Health and Safety Working Group discusses and prepares positions on issues related to health and safety at work, including EU strategies, EU legislation and specific topics such as EU ergonomics, workers’ exposure to chemicals and psychosocial risks. It also contributes to the healthy workplaces campaigns of the European Agency on Health and Safety at work.

The Labour Market Working Group discusses and prepares positions on issues related to the overall approach towards EU employment policy, including youth employment and active labour market policies.

The Industrial Relations Working Group discusses and prepares positions on issues related to the EU legislation on working conditions (e.g. posting of workers, agency work, part-time work, fixed-term work) as well as information and consultation of workers (e.g. the European works councils directive). Members also exchange information on national-level developments in labour law and collective bargaining.