EU legislation must become better and faster – with mandatory impact assessments and competitiveness checks for all economy-related laws, stringent application of the "One in, two out" principle, and consistent elimination of regulatory duplications and disproportionate burdens.

The EU should reduce existing overregulation through further omnibus packages and, in the long term, conduct regular reviews of legislation. Complex regulations and excessive reporting requirements must not stifle the innovation and investment power of our companies. To accelerate planning and approval procedures, ambitious simplifications in environmental law are also necessary.

Europe needs rapid network expansion, technology openness, and fair recognition of international climate protection contributions – only in this way will energy for companies remain predictable and competitive. The EU's ambitious climate targets require investments on a historic scale.

A Clean Industrial Deal must therefore inseparably connect and guarantee climate protection and competitiveness, ensuring that energy remains affordable and reliably available even with increasing demand. For industry to invest, the EU emissions trading system must also quickly be made future-proof. A reliable and effective protection against carbon leakage is essential.

Simplification for goods and services within Europe

Fostering the integration of the Single Market requires addressing existing barriers, especially in the mobility of skilled workers.

Europe must swiftly conclude new trade agreements and establish stable value-added and supply chain networks to secure its global strength and economic resilience.

A strong SME sector is a central prerequisite for a resilient and innovative European economy. Especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are limited in their competitiveness and operational capacity due to excessive bureaucratic burdens. Therefore, existing strains should be consistently reduced — practicably within companies and in legal certainty.

Regulations should undergo binding impact assessments that take into account the reality of SMEs. Every new EU regulation must be preceded by a mandatory SME suitability test, in line with the principle "Think small first." Small and medium enterprises, as well as so-called Small-Mid Caps, particularly suffer from high energy costs, lengthy approval processes, and cumbersome reporting obligations. SME policies must regain a central position in the European competitiveness agenda.