Defending our European Union and its values is a worthy cause and there is an urgent need to do so.

I took over the Presidency of BusinessEurope recently and EFNI is in fact the very first big event organised by one of our member federations that I attend. And this is not a coincidence. I absolutely wanted to be here tonight for 3 reasons.

Reason number 1: I heard a lot of very positive comments about EFNI. It has the reputation to be a very lively laboratory of new ideas on how to improve our European Union. And this excellent reputation extends well beyond Polish borders!

BusinessEurope is really proud to be part of this initiative of our Polish member federation. 

Reason number 2: EFNI 2018 coincides with the 20th anniversary of Lewiatan. And I wanted to pay tribute to the fantastic work carried out by Henryka Bochniarz and the entire Lewiatan team. 

You are actively participating in all the important discussions at BusinessEurope, truly shaping the decisions we take with all our member federations. You defend the cause of the Polish business community in Brussels, you do so with a coherent and positive vision of where the European Union should go. You have understood that Polish patriotism goes hand in hand with European patriotism and openness to the world. This is why you are so influential.

This brings me to the third reason why I absolutely wanted to attend EFNI 2018.

Reason number 3 is the theme chosen for EFNI 2018. It puts the finger on one of the key priorities I want to tackle during my term as President of BusinessEurope: how to ensure that the European Union can play its full role in this changing world. My main task as President of BusinessEurope will be to make sure that the unprecedented uncertainties we are facing lead to a new global order rather than to a global mess.

I am absolutely convinced that the world, and the European Union as a key global player, are at a turning point.

The next years will decide whether Europe will continue to deliver for its companies and citizens. And the business community has a strong responsibility to make sure things are going in the right direction. 

Business has to speak up. We have to make our voice heard. We must say loud and clear:

• how the European Union should act to further shape globalisation, 
• how the European Union should act to be at the winning side of digitalisation and 
• how to make the European Union stronger but at the same time less bureaucratic and more efficient in fulfilling its mission towards companies and citizens. 

As entrepreneurs, we know that Europe is not an option but an absolute necessity.

European integration has strengthened the development of our companies. It has boosted growth and employment. There is a clear link between successful integration in our Single Market and growth and employment!

Of course, European integration is also demanding because it leads to more competition among enterprises, sometimes starting from very different economic and social situations. It is therefore crucial that the European Union continues to ensure that this competition is fair. 

Free movement of goods, services, capital and people is an absolute “must” to build a strong Europe. We must say this loud and clear!

Faced with giants such as the United-States or China and with the huge challenges of digitalisation, climate, environmental and demographic change, the solution is not less Europe. The future is not in dissentions but in joining forces within institutions that allow to discuss and settle divergences. 

The Euro is a major asset. We must continue to strengthen our Economic and Monetary Union. Constantly pushing back necessary decisions from one European Council to another is not the solution. As the European Commission often says, we must fix the roof of the house while the sun is shining!

The strategy of “the law of the strongest” followed by the United-States is an eye opener. We must react by strengthening our common trade policy and by further improving our Single Market.

In a world undergoing profound changes, companies are a crucial factor of adaptation while ensuring stability. They bring 80% of the solutions to the problems that people are facing. Companies are also a link between countries and a tensions absorber because trade allows to understand each other better and to find common solutions.

Europe’s peace and prosperity is rooted in free trade and the rule of law values that go with it. International trade is essential for us. Approximately 31 million EU jobs depend on our exports. 

Unfortunately, dealing with international trade these days feels like riding a roller-coaster (in French we would say “c’est les montagnes russes”). 

There are new developments every day and nobody is sure where they will lead. Instead of having a predictable and rules-based environment, we are faced with constant disruption.

The global trade order is not perfect and we all agree it needs reform. But the key question is: Will we end up with a less open global trade order going against existing business models anchored in global value chains?  

Or on the contrary, can the turmoil take a positive spin and contribute to improve the system?

The answer will depend on the capacity of all global players to act responsibly (the US, the EU and other key trading partners, including China).

One thing is sure, to end up with an improved global trade system, we will need to deepen the existing partnerships that we have with key partners and develop new ones, especially with countries and regions in our immediate neighbourhood. 

With heated debates about migration, having a strategy towards Africa and the Mediterranean countries is more important than ever. The continent-to-continent trade agreement with Africa suggested in President Juncker’s State of the Union speech takes the right approach! 

Brexit and the future EU-UK relation is the other “elephant in the room”. After end March 2019, the UK will be a third country. If reason prevails, it will be a very close and privileged relation. But to make this possible, both sides first need to finalise, sign and ratify a withdrawal agreement that includes a transition period.

The European Union has the most developed network of trade agreements in the world. Europe is a technological, economic, social and environmental giant. European countries share values, a history, traditions.

If the will is there, we can build a stronger Europe, a more united Europe, an open Europe, a human Europe. 

Let us work together to strengthen our European Union and defend its values. It is a worthy cause and there is an urgent need to do so.