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, ladies and gentlemen, at the end of this important debate, on behalf of the European Commission, I welcome the support for strengthening the internal market. Yes, it is high time to deliver by also offering our companies economies of scale, ensuring quality jobs for Europeans. The important message to remember is that we cannot end this mandate with more barriers, as in all other mandates for a number of years. Let us at least give this objective. On 25 May, a year ago, we proposed a strategy targeting ten important barriers to trade between us, ten regulatory barriers that have an impact on the European economy. We are working with you, the Member States and their representatives to break down these barriers. But I say it here in front of the members: 70% of the work is also at national level, in terms of national regulations and legislation. We published the 28the As a regime, we have published a functioning European legal framework to allow companies to operate across Europe, not only with the same rules, but also with a single supervisor, as well as the foundations of a Capital Markets Union. We have also published proposals on the Capital Markets Union, on telecom networks and on the modernisation of our energy infrastructure. Finally, the Commission, the Council and Parliament, together with you, have made commitments and a very clear roadmap on this subject. So we have to live up to it, we have to deliver. The urgency is there and you all stressed it this morning: our competitors are not waiting. With 450 million consumers, our potential is immense, but it is often untapped. We need to gain growth points with the internal market. The Draghi and Letta reports have made this clear to us: Fragmentation costs us growth points in the European economy, jobs, but also our sovereignty. Each barrier not removed, it is European companies less, capacities of competitiveness in the world that we lack. As you have understood, as President von der Leyen also reminded us this morning, our action is very clear: first of all speed up – and I am counting on you for the proposals that are under way to move fast on telecoms, on energy, on the financial services market and on the capital market, but also on the e-Declaration which is under discussion – and you can count on me for the proposals that we still have to deliver to the Commission. I am thinking in particular of public procurement or the circular economy, which will arrive in the coming weeks. The primary objective is to unleash the full power of the internal market, then to apply it equally, Member State by Member State, and finally to simplify our procedures. I was committed to this during my hearing. The internal market is also a matter of harmonisation. One in, twenty-seven out. It is probably on this topic that we need to work to build the regulations of tomorrow. I believe we are at a pivotal moment with successive crises – health, energy, geopolitics. As you have understood, we can no longer afford to be slow on this subject. It is high time to act and, above all, deliver at the level of both the co-legislators and the Commission. It is a shared responsibility for our companies, for our workers, for the future of the European model. In any case, the Commission is ready alongside the co-legislators.