On the eve of the European leaders’ discussion on the EU’s competitiveness, that will take place on Friday 30 June, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, reiterated what they see as the foundations of a competitive Europe.
“Our economies thrive on open and rules-based trade and investment, on secure cross-border connectivity and collaboration on research and innovation”, they wrote in a letter sent to the 27 Heads of State or Government.
They recall the Commission’s recent proposals in this area and promote free trade and the strengthening of the single market.
“We need to rely on trade and on the Single Market to spur competition and ensure that we have access to the raw materials, technologies, and other inputs which are crucial for boosting our competitiveness, resilience and for sustaining current and future employment and growth”, they explain.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar concurred with this assessment when he arrived at the summit on Thursday 29 June. And to go even further in opening up trade: “We must avoid falling into protectionism. Instead, we should be in favour of trade, avoiding trade barriers and excessive subsidies”.
For his Portuguese counterpart, António Costa, this inevitably involves closer trade relations with close partners, such as the countries of Latin America. In this respect, it is crucial that the EU/CELAC summit is a success, in his view, “to guarantee fair trade and prevent the isolation of Europe”.
See the letter from Mrs von der Leyen and Mr Kristersson: https://aeur.eu/f/7t7 (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)