EESC Employers' Group applauds EU leaders' competitiveness push

23 March 2023 – The EESC Employers' Group applauds EU leaders for converging with the European Commission on its resolve to push for long-term competitiveness and productivity.

"The vision is here to stay. EU leaders called for a growth-enhancing regulatory environment. All we need now is an enforcement union that pushes for the adoption of the competitiveness agenda by all member states," said Stefano Mallia, President of the Employers' Group.

"We are finally speaking the same language," added Mallia, stressing that we did not have a visionary strategy for growth since the Lisbon Strategy and the EU 2020 from over a decade ago

For EU employers being able to compete internationally and to create jobs has to be at the centre of EU policy-making. For the past years, the EESC Employers' Group has been pushing for the EU to adopt a Competitiveness Agenda, to help the 27-country bloc to regain growth, regain prosperity, move strongly into the green economy and indeed once again become global leaders.

"It is crucial for Europe to avoid engaging in a subsidy race and implementing protectionist measures. Instead, it's necessary to improve investment conditions in the Single Market and enhance Europe's competitiveness, focusing more on regulatory simplification and keeping our markets open," stressed Mallia. "There is now a need to have a new enforced governance structure in place to promote economic growth and competitiveness."

The Group called for the next mandate to be dedicated to enforcement to make sure that the better regulation principle of "one in, one out" is actually becoming meaningful.

For more information on the priorities of the EESC Employers' Group, please click here