Brussels – Leaders from 19 EU nations, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, are urging the European Union to assess, restrict, and reduce its regulations to uphold competitiveness. This appeal is made in a joint letter to the President of the European Council Charles Michel, which has been made available to ČTK.
The three-page correspondence references a report from last year by former European Central Bank Governor Mario Draghi, highlighting the EU’s declining competitiveness. Draghi had cautioned that the EU needs substantial investment in a short timeframe to stay competitive with the United States.
“We aim to preserve the European Union as a symbol of freedom, security, and prosperity. To achieve this, we must significantly change its direction,” the EU leaders state ahead of Thursday’s summit.
“Three vital actions are needed: review, reduce, limit. We call for a thorough examination of all EU regulations to pinpoint those that are redundant, excessive, or unbalanced,” the letter states. The leaders suggest that the European Commission conduct this review of the EU regulatory framework by year’s end, proposing the removal of outdated or excessive regulations while upholding current political objectives and the integrity of the single market.
“Now is the time to take action. We must advance. Slowing down is not an option,” the leaders conclude their letter. (October 21)
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