Developing a new European strategy for the Internal Market: helping our businesses to meet technological, social, environmental and competition challenges

Key points:

The EESC:

• believes that a strategy for the future of the internal market should focus on several aspects: a European industrial policy, a favourable framework for businesses and SMEs, social economy enterprises, public support for the European project, properly organised and efficient services of general interest and steps to preserve and develop our social model;
• calls for a new analytical framework to guide political decision-making for a changed world with new geopolitical challenges. There are a number of conflicting objectives: requests for subsidies versus calls to limit State aid; local production requirements versus moves to open up markets; access to indispensable raw materials versus supply conditions. A new system of cooperation to find the best solutions is required, and a new spirit of collaboration between Member States is essential to create a genuine sense of European identity;
• calls for an assessment of the consequences for economic, social and territorial cohesion of liberalising Services of General Economic Interest (SGEI), and a study of the possible need to create European instruments for public intervention in SGEI sectors.

For more information, please contact the INT Section secretariat.

Updating the European industrial strategy to deliver the green and digital transition

Sandra Parthie, EESC Member