20
May
2026
Watch
High time to deliver on the Single Market, providing certainty and predictability for EU businesses and quality jobs (continuation of debate)
Madam President, dear Commissioners, dear colleagues, first of all, I think when we are talking about the single market and differences, we have to understand that the only solution for the left side then is to have the same rules, same regulations. But, just for example, I could not just imagine that we are going to have a compromise for the labour market with the same rules, with a Spanish far-left government and with normal governments, because this will mean that we are going to overregulate in 27 Member States just to harmonise. And I will probably never see a national government elected by the people of a Member State who would agree with that. That will never happen. So, we have differences. But differences are a start for competition and competition is good globally. But when we are talking about just a market situation for the EU, the real problem actually – as has also been mentioned here – is our capacity globally against China and the US also. But we have, for example, industrial companies. They have to consider, at the same time, emissions and environmental permits, occupational safety requirements, product certifications, chemical and material requirements, energy and climate rules, all of that. And then we are talking about how to overregulate. No, we have to go back to history to have a normal market again where we started.