EPP Group shares Draghi's wake-up call on competitiveness and single market completion

Today, Mario Draghi presented his report on the future of European competitiveness. The EPP Group has long championed the need for competitiveness to be the guiding principle of all European Union policies.

Andreas Schwab MEP, EPP Group spokesman on the single market, says: "The Draghi report rightly wants to shift our focus to innovation and wealth creation. We need to seriously reduce the regulatory burden on European companies, not the rules they must respect. He rightly calls for a significant cut in reporting obligations for SMEs and small mid-caps to restore competitiveness in sectors where Europe is particularly exposed to international competition. I am satisfied that he confirms many of the demands that the EPP Group has been making for a long time. It is not surprising that Draghi recognises that the fragmentation of the single market along national lines is the main obstacle to the growth of innovative companies. We must tackle these serious disincentives for innovators and investors, especially in the technology sector. Only with a fully completed single market in the areas that matter to innovative companies will the EU find its own way to compete on the global stage."

Christian Ehler MEP, EPP Group spokesman on industry, research and energy, adds: "I welcome the presentation of Mario Draghi's report. It is a wake-up call to policymakers both in the Member States and in Brussels: we need to take swift and significant action on EU competitiveness. We need to create a business case for the European industry and finally turn our path to decarbonisation into a competitive advantage for European companies. The Draghi report identifies many challenges and provides concrete pathways to solutions, all of which require common European ambition and action. As the EPP Group, we have long been calling for many of these proposals. This report mustn't get lost in the drawers of Brussels bureaucrats: national capitals and EU policymakers must harness the common ambition to rise to the challenges of our time."

The EPP Group will follow up on the report and has suggested inviting Mr Draghi to the next plenary session of the European Parliament to debate his report.