Post by Jorgo Chatzimarkakis

🚨 Europe’s Competitiveness Is a Matter of Urgency – Time for a Deregulation Mindset At the Industry Summit in Antwerp, Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivered a clear and uncompromising message: 👉 Europe’s jobs and competitiveness are now a matter of urgency. 👉 We must switch to a sense of urgency. 👉 Incremental corrections are not enough. 👉 The entire regulatory environment must be reviewed. This is about a systemic reset of Europe’s regulatory machinery. 🎥 In the video, Merz makes three decisive points: ⚡ 1. Competitiveness = Urgent Action Europe cannot afford procedural paralysis while the US and China move at speed. 🛠️ 2. A Deregulation Mindset Not minor corrections. A full review of the regulatory framework. ⏱️ 3. Administrative Acceleration Projects that meet all substantive requirements must no longer be stalled for months. If authorities fail to decide within a defined timeframe, approval should be deemed granted. 🧯 4. Stop the Regulatory Overproduction Merz openly criticised what many in industry call the “machinery room” of the European Commission — constantly producing new delegated and implementing acts that increase complexity instead of reducing it. He also announced that together with French President Emmanuel Macron, he intends to present concrete simplification proposals by June this year. ⸻ 📊 Why This Matters: The Regulatory Reality According to a previously unpublished study by Arbeitgeberverband Gesamtmetall reported in Welt am Sonntag: 📌 In 2025 alone, the European Commission launched 1,456 legal acts — the highest number since 2010. Breakdown: 📘 21 Directives 📗 102 Regulations 📙 137 Delegated Acts 📕 1,196 Implementing Acts This happened despite the promise of an “unprecedented” reduction of rules. 📈 The message from industry is clear: simplification has not yet materialised in practice. ⸻ 🏭 Why Antwerp Was the Right Place The Antwerp Industry Summit symbolised Europe’s industrial backbone — chemicals, steel, logistics, energy-intensive sectors. These sectors are under pressure from: 🌍 Global competition 💸 High energy costs 📑 Regulatory density ⏳ Slow permitting If Europe wants to remain an industrial continent, simplification must move from rhetoric to execution. ⸻ 🔎 The Bigger Shift What we are witnessing may be the beginning of a political pivot: From: 📜 “Regulation first” To: 🚀 “Execution and competitiveness first” If the June proposals truly reduce regulatory overload and introduce binding acceleration mechanisms, this could mark a turning point. Europe does not lack ambition. Europe lacks speed. And as Chancellor Merz made clear in Antwerp: Speed is now a strategic necessity. #Competitiveness #Deregulation #EU #Industry #Simplification #Antwerp #EconomicSecurity Ursula von der Leyen |Bart De Wever | Matthias Diependaele | Teresa Ribera | Wopke Hoekstra | Minister-president Dick Schoof | Christian Stocker Michael Vassiliadis

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