BusinessEurope Headlines No. 2016-10

Restarting the social dialogue at the centre of Tripartite Social Summit discussions

Europe is at a crossroads. A robust industry is an indispensable basis to weather the multiple challenges facing us. The priority is to strengthen the economy and for that the regulatory business environment has to be improved to strengthen private investment and job creation. But business is concerned that further political instability could further slowdown the pace of reform in 2016. In this context, restarting the social dialogue can support the creation of growth and jobs. It can be a factor of unity for Europe at a time when there are growing signs of tensions. We count on the European Commission and Council to really engage in the restart of social dialogue by supporting the draft declaration on "a new start for a strong social dialogue". These were the key messages by BusinessEurope President Emma Marcegaglia in her address at the Tripartite Social Summit held in Brussels on 16 March 2016.

Only with a strong economy can Europe face its many challenges

"The European Council meeting on 17-18 March should ensure that all necessary actions are taken to tackle the refugee crisis and safeguard Schengen. Only with strong foundations and a resilient economy will the European Union and its member states be in a position to provide appropriate answers to these challenges. It is more important than ever to make sure that the Spring European Council meeting does what it was designed for: moving the structural reform agenda forward to pave the way to higher growth and more employment in Europe", BusinessEurope President Emma Marcegaglia said. BusinessEurope called on the European Council to find a constructive solution, including an agreement with Turkey, to deal with the refugee crisis and safeguard the external borders of Schengen. We also urged heads of state and government to make real progress on implementation of structural reforms by member states and in delivering the competitiveness agenda at the European level too, through concrete actions to develop the single market, digitalise our economy and further improve economic governance of the Economic and Monetary Union. These were the messages conveyed by BusinessEurope President Emma Marcegaglia and Director General Markus J. Beyrer to Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, on 16 March in Brussels. (Photo © European Union 2016)

Well-functioning apprenticeship systems deliver return on investment

An important lesson to achieve well-functioning apprenticeship systems throughout Europe is that companies need to get back the costs that they have invested by the time an apprentice completes their training. This was one of the main conclusions discussed by Maxime Cerutti, Director of Social Affairs, at the final conference of the BusinessEurope-led project on the cost-effectiveness of apprenticeship schemes that took place in Brussels on 15 March. There needs to be an openness at national level to adapt structures to companies needs and to better enshrine employer and, where appropriate, social partner involvement in the governance of apprenticeship systems. At the European level, the Commission needs to strengthen its approach to promoting mutual learning between national stakeholders to help effect systemic changes and to raise levels of engagement that will, ultimately, foster the supply and quality of apprenticeships.

Contact: Robert Plummer

Discussing EU-Latin America relations with parliamentarians

The EU is already the biggest investor and the second most important trade partner of Latin America. We have a number of free-trade agreements already in place - Central America, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru - and others under negotiation like Mercosur. How civil society organisations can be more involved in the decision-making process in both regions and cooperate with parliamentarians in the context of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly were some of the topics on the agenda of a workshop on enhancing EU-Latin American relations and the role of civil society held at the European Parliament on 16 March. Ensuring that more companies, especially SMEs, benefit from trade and investment opportunities, sustainability and resource efficiency or the digital economy were pointed as potential areas for future development.

Contact: Luisa Santos

Argentina: new government, new opportunities?

On 16 March, BusinessEurope met a delegation from Argentina on the occasion of the visit in Brussels of Secretary of Commerce Miguel Braun and Secretary of Structural Transformation Lucio Castro. The meetings were an opportunity to discuss possible investment opportunities in Argentina following the elections of the new government and the prospects of resuming negotiations for an EU-Mercosur trade agreement. Argentina has shown a renewed interest in making progress in the talks and an exchange of offers is expected to take place in April.

Contact: Eleonora Catella

Smart industry can offer Europe huge opportunities

Europe needs a shift in policy-making to become the most dynamic digital growth region in the world. To create a globally successful European model, the right conditions for innovation need to be in place, along with more global convergence of rules and standards. Tackling the low take-up of digital technologies and rethinking our approach to education and skills are a must. These were the points BusinessEurope Deputy Director Guido Lobrano raised during the conference on smart industry organised by the Slovak government in Bratislava on 14 March. BusinessEurope fully supports an EU approach to digital transformation that focuses on its growth, employment and innovation opportunities for Europeans.

Contact: Guido Lobrano

China’s market economy status and EU’s industrial competitiveness

"The question of market economy status should be treated in accordance with WTO and EU rules and be based on its own merits", BusinessEurope said at the trade defence stakeholder conference on 17 March in Brussels. Any decision should therefore be based on a solid and comprehensive impact assessment which takes account of China’s policies and their impact on EU interests. There are deep concerns within major parts of the European business community about what expiry of a subparagraph of China’s protocol of accession to the WTO could mean for the EU anti-dumping procedures and industrial competitiveness. The EU should therefore maintain effective trade defence instruments that take the real market situation in China into account. It is in the interest of European business that the EU strives for a sound and balanced economic relationship with China. To achieve this, it is important that the EU proactively engages China through all available channels.

Contact: Eleonora Catella

Digital is a crucial cross-sectoral competitiveness factor

Technology offers businesses new opportunities to remain globally competitive, regardless of the sector. During the annual European Financial Services Round Table on 15 March, BusinessEurope Deputy Director Guido Lobrano emphasised the key role the financial sector can play in Europe’s digital economy, not only by financing take-up of new technology by companies, but also by sharing its extensive experience in data management and boosting its role in driving innovation as an early adopter of digital technology. Like in all sectors, properly addressing the labour and employment issues driven by digital will be crucial, particularly by stressing the positive impact it will have on working life.

Contact: Guido Lobrano

Supporting fitness check of European consumer rules

The ongoing specific fitness check of consumer legislation is welcome. This is one of the areas where businesses face a particularly high amount of rules. Checking efficiency, coherence and relevance of these rules is therefore essential. Also, business-to-consumer and business-to-business relations should not be mixed in this exercise. These were the messages conveyed by Jacek Barankiewicz, Chair of BusinessEurope’s Consumer Marketing Working Group at the European Consumer Day conference organised by the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels on 10 March.