Europe's energy transition is accelerating, but the gap between ambition and delivery keeps widening. Electricity demand is rising faster than overall energy use, yet the infrastructure meant to sustain it is lagging behind.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a vision of the future, it is already reshaping how European businesses operate and compete. Opening the Employers’ Group’s annual exchange with the leaders of Europe’s main business organisations, President Sandra Parthie highlighted the scale and urgency of the challenge: “AI is already transforming enterprises today, from resilient supply chains that withstand global disruptions to personalised services that build customer loyalty. The impact is real and measurable.”
Europe stands at a decisive crossroads: reclaim its position as a prime destination for investment and a credible geopolitical actor, or watch capital, talent, and innovation migrate to leaner, more predictable markets, leaving its strategic influence diminished alongside its economic weight.
Cyprus, which is preparing to take the reins of the rotating EU presidency in January 2026, has quietly emerged in recent years as one of Europe’s top business locations. It ranks among the best EU countries for startup first-year survival rates. Read more with Sandra Parthie, President of the Employers' Group of the European Economic and Social Committee.
COP30 was not a missed opportunity; it is a snapshot of a complex moment in which we must strive to find solutions. Businesses must demonstrate that achieving these goals is possible, but we need certainty, legal and regulatory security, and this requires maintaining leadership—in our case, that of the European Institutions in the multilateral arena. The EESC must continue working towards achieving these objectives.
The European Union’s Single Market, often hailed as the crown jewel of European integration, promised frictionless trade and a level playing field. Yet today, it remains unfinished showing a patchwork of 27 national corporate laws, tax codes, accounting rules, and labour systems. For businesses operating across borders, this legal maze acts as invisible tariffs: up to 45% on goods and over 100% on services. Expanding across borders still means paying lawyers and accountants, not hiring engineers or sales teams.
Europe’s Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SMEs) are at a turning point and the discussions at the SME Assembly showed just how urgently change is needed.
