welcomes the Commission’s 2024 approach, which seeks to align competition enforcement with the EU’s digital, green and industrial policy priorities while safeguarding a well-functioning Single Market:
supports the Commission’s efforts to enhance the effectiveness and predictability of competition rules, including the development of new guidelines on exclusionary abuses of dominance, the modernised Market Definition Notice, and improved tools to assess consumer welfare impacts;
stresses the importance of strong and effective enforcement in digital markets, both under traditional competition rules and through the growing application of the Digital Markets Act.;
calls for stronger merger control, including a framework to scrutinise below-threshold acquisitions that may harm competition (e.g. “killer acquisitions”), and urges greater consideration of labour market impacts and innovation dynamics in merger assessments;
highlights the need for State aid rules to promote cross-border participation, reduce fragmentation and support strategic investments essential for the Clean Industrial Deal, while ensuring cohesion and a level playing field across Member States.
The long-anticipated EU strategic approach to the Black Sea, which recognises the region as a critical hub for security, stability, and economic prosperity, arrives late and with limited ambition, underscores the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), while calling for it to be swiftly implemented and properly resourced.
