Bart 
De Wever

Prime Minister Bart De Wever hosted an informal video conference on European competitiveness on Tuesday together with German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. More than 20 European heads of state and government took part, along with the President of the European Commission. The meeting allowed leaders to align their priorities ahead of the European Council of 19 March.

The time for action has come. European industry expects concrete measures to strengthen its competitiveness. Leaders shared a strong consensus that the EU must deliver tangible results in the short and medium term, including through regulatory simplification, structural solutions to the persistently high energy prices that European companies and industries have faced for years, and further strengthening of the Single Market.

Finally, participants underlined the importance of a strong and more deeply integrated Single Market that is also better protected against unfair competition. European companies must be able to compete on a level playing field, both within the EU and globally. Leaders therefore agreed to remain in close coordination in the run-up to the European Council in order to define concrete objectives and timelines.The upcoming European Council should translate the key elements of the Alden Biesen retreat into concrete action, reflecting the concerns raised by industry.