The Conference on the Future of Europe was launched on 9 May 2021 by the European institutions to bring the Union closer to its citizens and give them the opportunity to debate on Europe’s challenges and priorities. Every EU citizen, business, the civil society, and public authorities could take part in the works of the Conference.
The Conference concluded its works on 9 May 2022, Europe Day, after one year-journey, and published its Report on the Final Outcome. The Institutions now must follow up on this exercise in a coordinated effort to give the right direction to the future of the European project. Indeed, this is not an easy task in such incredibly hard times, shaken by an unprecedented pandemic and the vile military aggression of Russia.
In this mission, European business plays a fundamental role, which must not be disregarded by the Institutions. This is because business is engaged constructively to facilitate fair and realistic compromises that consider citizens’ proposals while keeping in mind the necessity to maintain the EU’s economic strength, which is the foundation for a prosperous future for all Europeans.
For this reason, the ability to maintain European economic strength and competitiveness is essential. It is therefore necessary that the Institutions prioritise the preservation of a well-functioning, digital and competitive European Single Market to avoid the disruptions occurred in the recent years. To achieve this, legislative proposals must be growth and employment friendly and should not jeopardise the four fundamental freedoms on which the European Union has been based since its origins. More concretely, legislative proposals should be efficiently checked by experts and businesses when complex technical and legal matters are at stake.
Europe and its business should also benefit from a strong foreign policy, which shows that the European Union is really united in diversity, autonomous and resistant to external influence. It is equally important that the Institutions take into consideration the impact that their decisions in foreign matters have on European business.
European policymakers are thus encouraged to ensure that the results of the Conference are coherent, realistic, and manageable and do not put additional burdens on business to simulate growth and investments. Business is ready to support the Institutions and cooperate with them in this uplifting mission.