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Today, we are publishing a new, 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. - Read more
Presidents and Directors General of our member federations gathered in Budapest at the invitation of our Hungarian member federation MGYOSZ – BusinessHungary. We shared business priorities for the Hungarian Presidency with Tamás Sulyok, President of Hungary, and Màrton Nagy, Minister of National Economy. “Now is the time to fill with life the new European competitiveness deal that will ensure the European Union remains home to successful companies that create quality jobs as part of an economically successful green and digital transition", said President Fredrik Persson, "and this will require a reboot of EU policies". Our priorities for the second half of 2024: better regulation within a well-integrated Single Market, open strategic autonomy to strengthen Europe globally, and an ambitious industrial strategy for a resilient future. We also exchanged views with Enrico Letta, President of the Jacques Delors Institute. We welcomed his call for a reboot of the Single Market to meet the demands of today's global landscape. - Read more - Photo © Sándor Palota
"Europe's global influence comes from its economic strength and openness", BusinessEurope President Fredrik Persson said at this year's edition of our German member federation BDI's flagship event "Day of Industry - Cohesion in Polarized Worlds". He participated in a panel discussion on how to create a new Single Market for a new world order. "Today", he added, "this strength is weakened due to factors such as high energy bills, heavy regulations, lengthy permits. The next EU leaders must tackle these issues while keeping Europe open to trade." Other panellists were Isabel Schnabel, Member of the Executive Board, ECB; Nils Aldag, CEO, Sunfire; Christian Sewing, CEO, Deutsche Bank.
Photo © Kristian Kruppa & Jana Legler
Speaking at the Industry Reception 2024, organised by our member Federation of Austrian Industries (IV), Director General Markus J. Beyrer emphasised the need for enhancing investment conditions across Europe in the upcoming political mandate. “Only an economically strong Europe can play a strong global role, only successful companies can create and secure high-quality jobs”, he said, noting Europe has been lagging behind global competitors in economic growth and investment. To reignite the economy, the EU must tackle high energy prices, reduce regulatory burdens, unleash the full potential of the Single Market and pursue an ambitious trade policy. Beyrer highlighted the European Council's recent emphasis on a ‘New Competitiveness Deal’ to enhance Europe's global standing. “We need swift and decisive action from European institutions to translate words into effective policies”, he added.
BusinessEurope and the entire European business community congratulate the new Members of the European Parliament on their election and welcome the strong voter turnout across the continent that proves that citizens care about Europe. BusinessEurope President Fredrik Persson said: "EU elections have seen a clear winner. We urge the main political forces to organise the pro-European majority in the European Parliament to take the necessary action to improve competitiveness and agree upon the future EU leaders as soon as possible. Economic ambition, political stability and predictability are key for the EU’s economic growth and its attractiveness for investment which are the prerequisite of the wellbeing of European citizens. To deliver for society, the EU needs strong companies as much as European companies need a strong European Union to succeed. This was our key message leading up to the elections, where we also called for a reboot in EU policies to safeguard Europe’s competitiveness." - Read more
With the European elections only days away, today we release our Spring Economic Outlook which bolsters our call for a reboot in EU policymaking to ensure Europe’s competitiveness and strengthen its industrial base. The report shows that EU businesses now expect the EU economy to grow by 1.2% in 2024, increasing to 1.8% in 2025. This is a 0.4 pp downward revision for 2024 in comparison to our Autumn Economic Outlook. Commenting on the report, BusinessEurope Director General, Markus J. Beyrer noted, "There are signs that growth in the EU economy may bounce back a little this year, with rising real wages and the prospect of lower interest rates both likely to increase demand. But improvements in overall EU output must not distract us from the huge challenges being faced by the industrial sector, particularly as a result of high energy prices and an increasing regulatory burden. EU industrial output remains barely above pre-Covid levels, with capacity utilisation at its lowest level since 2013 (if the Covid period is excluded)." - Read the full report here.