Thilo Brodtmann calls for effective review of EU competitiveness

VDMA Managing Director Thilo Brodtmann has commented on the the results of the European Council of 23 March 2023. The decisions of the European Council had shown that that the competitiveness of Europe as an industrial location is a high priority on the European policy agenda. agenda, which is good news from the meeting of the EU heads of government in Brussels. EU heads of government in Brussels. At the same time, industrial continue to struggle with increasing bureaucratic and regulatory burdens, which regulatory burdens, which inhibit the innovative capacity and agility of of companies.  

"Therefore, a political initiative is now needed quickly to improve the regulatory environment in the EU for investment and economic activity across the board. Focusing on individual strategic industrial sectors, as envisaged in the Net Zero Industry Act, falls short. The competitiveness check now expressly demanded by the member states for new EU projects and the streamlining of reporting requirements are a step in the right direction. Now the EU Commission and the European Parliament must ensure that this initiative does not become a paper exercise in practice. initiative does not turn into a paper tiger in practice and put ongoing legislative initiatives to the test," says Thilo Brodtmann.  

For the competitiveness of European industry free trade plays an important role. This is reflected in the conclusions of the Council, however, according to Thilo Brodtmann. In view of the geopolitical developments, especially the rapprochement of Russia and China, it is important that Europe concludes free trade agreements as quickly as possible in important regions such as Mercosur as quickly as possible.