“What the pandemic did for our response to health, and Ukraine did for our response to defence – now is the time to do for European competitiveness.”

In her speech to leaders, President Metsola made four points:

1/ Complete the Single Market

“Fragmentation means we are allowing ourselves to be squeezed from our East and our West. At the speed with which things are moving, we need to act – now.”

“If we can go forward together let’s do it, but we cannot be stuck. The way forward needs to be defined by pragmatic realism that delivers tangible results.”

2/ Keep cutting red tape

“Parliament has done a lot in the last year on simplification. We have eased requirements in the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, reduced red-tape in the Common Agricultural Policy and in InvestEU. We have narrowed the scope of the CSRD and CSDDD. (…) Regarding proposals to revise rules on digital, environmental, automotive and food sectors, work in committees is moving fast. Now we also…