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EU leaders to set due dates on bloc's competitiveness push

European Union leaders will set several due dates for a deeper single market, more capital for financial investments and a combined energy market, according to draft conclusions for a summit in November concentrated on the bloc's push to enhance its competitiveness.

The leaders, who satisfy in Budapest on Nov. 8, are responding to warnings that the European Union will fall behind the United States and China in the worldwide tech race without fast choices and massive investment.

In draft conclusions seen , which might change before or during the top, the leaders will stress the severe seriousness of decisive action to satisfy a brand-new geopolitical reality and progressively complicated obstacles.

The leaders will ask the European Commission to provide proposals by June 2025 to deepen the EU single market, among the EU's greatest financial assets, but still besieged by barriers, particularly for services.

They will require the integration of European capital markets by 2027, which could help steer some 33 trillion euros ($ 35.7 trillion) of personal cost savings to the real economy. Now, about a third of it is held in bank accounts.

The draft conclusions highlight harmonising national insolvency laws and the merging of guidance, 2 concerns over which EU member disagree.

The conclusions tell the next Commission, which might take workplace in December, to provide a method for competitive industries, consisting of upgraded antitrust rules and improved access to crucial minerals, and proposals for funding Europe's. defence industry.

The leaders are expected to ask the Commission for propositions. by mid-2025 to strengthen the EU's abilities in quantum. innovation and AI and to accelerate digitisation across. markets.

The draft conclusions target the creation by 2027 of an. energy union, which would increase the flow across the bloc of. tidy energy with the goals of decreasing costs, guaranteeing energy. security and protecting climate neutrality by 2050.

As well as requiring more legislation, the draft. conclusions consist of an objective of reducing the reporting burden for. business by a minimum of 25%. Companies state bureaucracy is among the. primary obstacles to doing company in Europe.

(source: Reuters)