“We cannot be both frugal and a friend of the single market”, writes Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Internal Market. In a post on the LinkedIn social network, he sets out his vision for a more competitive Europe. On Thursday 18 April, the EU Heads of State or Government will discuss this very subject at their summit in Brussels (see other news).
For an “industrial pact” to be successful, enough money needs to be put into it, according to the Commissioner. “I am in favour of exploring ways of establishing a genuine European Sovereignty Fund, very different from the ‘STEP’ platform (see EUROPE 13205/3) both in terms of intervention capacity and financing power”, he writes.
He also believes that access to European funding is too complex and too slow for businesses. The same applies to European rules and the administrative procedures they entail.
The Green Deal and its implementing texts must be predictable, streamlined and simplified, according to the Commissioner. He is calling for “a kind of act to implement the Green Deal”, to give companies room to invest in decarbonisation projects.
Among the other proposals listed by Mr Breton is the use of public procurement to encourage businesses that contribute to resilience.
On another subject, the Commissioner calls for an incisive commercial policy towards unfair competitors. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)