Statement by President Stefano Mallia after the re-election of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

18/07/2024

We congratulate President Ursula von der Leyen for her re-election and welcome her political guidelines, which mark a significant shift towards addressing the challenge of crumbling competitiveness, acknowledging it as a critical issue on par with climate change and security.

Competitiveness and prosperity are finally central priorities. The new European Prosperity Plan aims to ease business operations in Europe, deepen the Single Market, and boost productivity through ground-breaking technologies. We particularly welcome the focus on making life easier for businesses by reducing administrative burdens, simplifying implementation, and having a Vice-President coordinate this effort.

The EESC Employers' Group has long called for this approach as you can also read in our priorities: "Driving prosperity for all: A Competitiveness Agenda for the EU" and we are eager to collaborate on aligning implementation with real-world conditions.

We also particularly welcome:

• A revamped competitiveness check and an Interinstitutional Agreement on simplification and better law-making.
• Turbo charging investment with an European Savings and Investments Union
• Increasing research spending to focus on strategic priorities, ground-breaking research, and scientific excellence.
• Establishing a new EU-wide legal status to help innovative companies grow
• A Clean Industrial Deal to invest in infrastructure and industry, bringing down energy prices and supporting companies in their greening efforts