Response to call for evidence “Single Market Strategy 2025”

We value the initiative to present a new Single Market Strategy aiming to achieve ‘a new momentum to complete the single market’ as said in the Political Guidelines. The start of the new Commission mandate provides ample opportunity to make the Single Market a top priority again. At the same time, we want to underline that in the past decades many reports have been published and strategies developed that claimed to be achieving the same objective. This seems to suggest that commitment of EU institutions is lacking to really follow through but also that the Single Market is an ongoing project that will never be completed.

It is important to emphasise that our sector accounts for 10% of the EU’s GDP, 1 out of 5 businesses is in retail and wholesale and 99% of them are SMEs. The EU can only achieve its objectives if our sector can invest, grow and innovate.

In this paper, we set out a number of ideas and in the annex is a list of concrete proposals we recommend to include in the envisaged Single Market Strategy 2025.

1. All EU institutions need to commit to the Single Market. EU institutions should stop codifying fragmentation in EU legislation. Member States should stop fragmenting via national rules.

2. All Commission DGs should take ownership of the envisaged Single Market Strategy 2025. Single Market integration is essential across policy domains and for strengthening the EU’s competitiveness.

3. We encourage the Commission to have a clear roadmap and timelines for the legislative and non-legislative initiatives in the foreseen Action Plan.

4. In the annex, we provide a short overview of ideas and positions often linked to more detailed position papers.