Breaking the 'Terrible Ten': the new INT President Antje Gerstein charts bold Single Market fight

On 29 April 2026, Ms Antje Gerstein, member of the EESC Employers' Group, was elected President of the Single Market, Production and Consumption (INT) section. In this interview is her take on her new mandate.

Q: Congratulations on your election as President of the EESC Single Market, Production and Consumption (INT) section. What does this appointment mean to you?

Thank you. I am very honoured by the trust the members have placed in me. This is an important responsibility, and I see it as both a recognition of the work already done and a call to continue building a strong, credible and forward-looking agenda for the INT section.

Q: You have been active in the EESC and the Employers’ Group for several years. What experience do you bring to this role?

Since joining the EESC in 2020, I have had the opportunity to work across several sections and to engage closely with the Employers’ Group. Over these years, I have learned a great deal by listening to colleagues and members with very different backgrounds, which is one of the great strengths of our Group. I have also gained experience in bringing together diverse views and turning them into coherent positions, including on major cross-cutting files.

Q: Which achievements from your previous work best prepare you for this presidency?

A particularly important experience was the development of the Employers’ Group priorities in 2022, at a time marked by the Russian aggression against Ukraine. That process required coordination, consolidation of different perspectives, and the ability to build a forward-looking agenda in very difficult circumstances. I have also served as rapporteur on several cross-cutting opinions, including CSDDD, climate finance, and unfair competition vis-à-vis large third-country platforms, all of which demanded balance, precision and consensus-building.

Q: What will be your main priorities as INT section President?
My priority is a genuinely functioning Single Market that supports trade, investment, scaling-up and growth. To do that, we must remove barriers and stop new ones from appearing, including the Commission’s “terrible ten,” which show how much still needs to be done: from complicated business establishment and complex rules to fragmented packaging requirements, uneven services regulation, and territorial supply constraints that raise consumer prices.

The INT section is central to Europe’s economic future. In today’s context of overlapping crises, geopolitical instability and growing extremism, Europe needs stronger resilience and competitiveness. The Single Market is one of our greatest assets, but it must function properly if it is to remain a true engine for competitiveness, resilience and prosperity.

Q: How do you plan to work with the other EU institutions?
I want the INT section’s work to be more visible and more targeted, so that it delivers genuine added value for policymakers. That means strengthening our outreach to the European Parliament, engaging systematically with Council working parties and presidencies, and maintaining an open but also constructive and critical dialogue with the European Commission. This approach is already underway, and I intend to deepen it further.

Q: You have spoken about continuity. What will change under your leadership?
Continuity is important, and I am committed to building on the programme developed by outgoing President Emilie Prouzet. At the same time, I want to ensure that the section remains highly responsive to new developments and continues to speak with clarity on issues that matter to business and to Europe as a whole. My aim is to combine stability with momentum.

Q: What kind of leadership do you want to bring to the section?
I believe in leadership based on listening, dialogue and pragmatism. My employers’ background has taught me the value of understanding different interests, including in difficult debates. I do not give up my convictions easily, but I do believe in finding compromises that are workable and that deliver real results.

Q: What message would you like to send to the members of the section?
A: I would like to thank them sincerely for their confidence. I will do my utmost to justify that trust by working inclusively, strategically and with determination. Together, we can ensure that the INT section remains a strong and relevant voice for competitiveness, resilience and a better-functioning Single Market.