On Wednesday 7 January, the President of the European Council, António Costa, confirmed that an informal summit on boosting European competitiveness would be held on Thursday 12 February at the Alden Biesen Castle in Belgium (see EUROPE 13780/16).
“We must give a new impetus to competitiveness. On 12 February, I will convene a strategic brainstorming session of European leaders to determine how to harness the full potential of the single market”, declared Mr Costa at the opening ceremony of the Cyprus Presidency in Nicosia. He pointed out that the EU27 were the world’s biggest traders in manufactured goods, and that the EU, as a “predictable and reliable partner”, was weaving the largest network of trade agreements, “not just with Mercosur”.
For the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, this will mean “cutting unnecessary red tape that is holding back our businesses”, completing the single market by “breaking down barriers” between national economies and integrating capital markets to “unlock the investment needed” to finance Europe’s transition (see EUROPE 13778/6). (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)