Publications

Our key publications for the next EU institutional cycle 2024-2029

Europe needs a reboot to restore its global competitiveness

BusinessEurope is calling for a REBOOT in European policies, building on EU achievements, with targeted actions to tackle the structural weaknesses that are undermining companies’ efforts to deliver for people.

Policy changes are needed, aiming at sound economic, social and environmental progress in a:

Resilient European Union with

Energy at affordable prices

Better and simpler regulation

Open and rules-based trade leading to more

Opportunities in the Single Market through

Technological innovation and talent development

Read the full paper

Energy and climate transition: how to strengthen the EU's competitiveness

On 4 July 2024 we published an in-depth study developed with economic consultancy Compass Lexecon, showing that a more competitive energy and climate transition is still possible but only if swift action is taken by EU legislators during the next EU cycle. The study shows that even in the case of a managed transition, with more supportive EU policies, energy costs in Europe would be at least 50% higher than that in the US, China and India by 2050. “This will put European companies at a serious competitive disadvantage with these key players, which is why we need urgent action at EU level to bridge this gap so that Europe can achieve climate neutrality by 2050 without deindustrialising”, warned our Director General Markus J. Beyrer. Based on the study, we have identified seven concrete actions for a successful energy and climate transition.

Economic security: Striking the right balance between security and competitiveness

The new analysis underscores the need for a renewed partnership between the European Commission, Member States, and the private sector to ensure uniform rule and regulation application across the EU. As many of the EU’s trading partners develop their own economic security strategies, it is crucial to promote coordination in areas of common interest. Director General Markus J. Beyrer said: “For us, the Strategy must be anchored in the principles of competitiveness and openness. The protection of vital security interests must not be used as cover for disguised protectionism, and it must not endanger the integrity of the Single Market and the free movement of capital. To this end, the three pillars of the Strategy as proposed by the European Commission – Promote-Protect-Partner – should be given equal importance. It is also crucial that any initiatives and tools are precise, proportionate, and predictable, and designed to mitigate well-defined risks.”

European social partners call to vote

At time of geopolitical crisis, it is even more important to support and strengthen European democracy. This is why the European social partners – ETUC, BusinessEurope, SGI Europe and SMEunited – jointly called on those who are eligible to vote in the upcoming European elections to make their voices heard. As representatives of trade unions and employers across Europe, they are united in their belief that participation in these elections is not just about electing policymakers; it is about securing a bright future for all and addressing the key challenges of our time.

Putting competitiveness at the forefront of the next political cycle

Why is Europe a less attractive investment location? Did you know the regulatory burden on businesses remains too high?

Our 2024 Reform Barometer offers a view of Europe’s global competitiveness performance and an evaluation of policy decisions taken last year.

“Our key finding is that 88% of our national member federations believe that, having declined significantly between 2020 and 2023, there was no improvement in the attractiveness of the EU’s investment environment vis-à-vis our major competitors over the last 12 months”, BusinessEurope President Fredrik Persson said.

Licence to transform: SWOT analysis of industrial permitting in Europe

Between May and June 2023, BusinessEurope surveyed 240 companies across 21 European countries, with 35% of those being SMEs, about their experiences with EU permitting processes. The results of this study confirmed our concerns that, in today’s very competitive global scene where speed is of strategic importance, long and complex industrial permitting hinders companies’ green and digital transformation and the EU’s global competitiveness.

Reigniting the engine of Europe's global economic leadership - Priorities for the Single Market beyond 2024

Key recommendations

When regulating, guarantee the freedom to trade and invest across borders in the EU, pursue maximum harmonisation of the Single Market rules, and strictly adhere to better regulation principles.
Liberalise cross-border provision of services, inter alia by ambitious implementation of the Services Directive, and incentivise uptake of digital technologies as the major priorities.

Our digital policy ambition for the 2024-2029 legislature

A 10-year period of intense horizontal regulation in the digital technology sphere is closing in. The European Union has become by far the most prominent writer of the digital technology playbook. In the 2024-2029 legislature BusinessEurope looks forward to:

- coherent implementation and harmonised interpretation of the updated regulatory framework, including the delegated powers.
- reduction of bureaucracy and time-to-market for products and services; rules made for physical goods should not impede digitalisation.

Stronger businesses, stronger European Union

Message to European political parties ahead of the 2024 European Parliament elections

Starting to prepare for the European elections 2024, we kicked off with a message to the European political parties, ‘Stronger businesses, stronger European Union’, in which we urge them to strengthen Europe’s economy in the next political cycle.