On Monday 19 May, thought leaders in EU affairs gathered at TownHall Europe for “Europe’s Quest for Competitiveness”, a high-level panel hosted by POLITICO Europe. The event brought together experts and policymakers to examine how the EU can strengthen its competitiveness on the global stage.
Opening the discussion, ALDE Party Secretary General Didrik de Schaetzen delivered a pointed message:
“We have to improve our Single Market. There’s still a lot to do and it’s been forgotten over the last couple of years. We have to finance competitiveness…if we’re looking at points where we are substantially different than other superpowers like the US and China, it’s in financing. And then the importance of trade, and the fact that trade is power…these are the three keys to improve.”
Throughout the debate, de Schaetzen argued that competitiveness is both a political and geopolitical imperative. He called for urgent action to complete the Single Market and stressed the need to unlock private capital through a European Savings and Investment Union. With over €10 trillion in household savings, the EU must direct this funding into innovation.
Education and skills were also in focus, with speakers underlining that no competitiveness strategy will succeed without tackling Europe’s widening skills gap. With nearly 60% of EU businesses citing labour shortages as a barrier to investment, panellists called for a stronger push for lifelong learning, mobility programmes and deeper mutual recognition of qualifications.
Moderated by POLITICO’s Carlo Martuscelli, the panel also featured Barbara Rambousek (EBRD), Georg Riekeles (EPC), and Andriana Sukova (European Commission), who highlighted regulatory simplification and better SME support as keys to unlocking growth.
You can rewatch the full event on YouTube here.
Photo: POLITICO Europe