Is the New Commission ready for the task?
European Liberal Forum
The political foundation and think tank of the European liberal family | Connecting Europeans with liberal ideas
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How competitive is ‘Made in Europe’??
As the new political mandate begins in Brussels, revitalising the sluggish growth of the EU economy appears to be a top priority for officials. Commission President?Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday her vision of the new Commission composition. Unsurprisingly, as one of the biggest advocates of EU growth, the portfolio for industrial strategy and boost competitiveness was proposed to European liberals – namely Stéphane Séjourné, former leader of the Renew Europe Group. In the mission letter addressed to Séjourné, the Commission president urges him to work on “Making Europe simpler and faster.”?
All the building blocks that liberals have advocated for – an innovation-based free market economy in Europe, a highly skilled, creative workforce, and a realistic, comprehensive vision of sustainability – are something that most of the European leaders and policymakers now agree on.?
ELF Executive Director Alva Finn was invited to Euronews’s weekly talk Brussels, my love? to discuss the competitiveness of European industries and economies and the ongoing confrontation between Brussels and Big Tech.?
“We need to invest in areas where we have a competitive edge. The Chips Act is an example of regulation where we are investing in a key competitive industry,” says Alva Finn. ? ?
One of the biggest issues when it comes to making European industries competitive is the question of where to find the money for it. Taking about the annual €800 billion spending recommended in the recent Draghi report to boost European economic power, Alva Finn states,?“Joint debt is a very sensitive topic, particularly among liberals. Nevertheless, a?lot of the Cohesion Policy Fund could be used to create value chains, to upscale our digital infrastructure so we can make Europe more competitive".?
We must have a pragmatic approach when it comes to the industrial autonomy trilemma, which means that we must find the right balance between sustainability, security and competitiveness. We cannot sacrifice all European industries to achieve sustainability targets because if we do so, we will lose support for the green transition. At the same time, we need prosperity, but not at all costs. That's what this mandate will be all about.?As the ELF Executive Director mentioned on the show, “There is a way of being tech-neutral and continuing to have a policy that is competitive and sustainable. We shot ourselves in the foot with overreliance on one way forward.”?
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH EURONEWS AND READ OUR STUDY ON THE SUSTAINABILITY-SECURITY-COMPETITIVENESS TRILEMMA. ?
?? READ THE STUDY?
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Commissioner hearings begin, what questions for EU enlargement??
Marta Kos, a liberal politician and former diplomat from Slovenia, is the country's new nominee for the European Commission. In her announcement speech this week, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that Kos is offered to become the next Commissioner for Enlargement, responsible for the overall Eastern neighbourhood. The official nomination of her candidacy is still in progress in Slovenia.?
Ahead of the Commissioner hearings at the European Parliament in the next weeks, leaders of the Western Balkan liberal parties are urging a more dynamic and credible approach to the EU enlargement process. They remain optimistic that, with robust reforms and sustained EU engagement, some Western Balkan nations could secure membership by 2030.??
Revitalising the enlargement agenda with liberal leadership will mean introducing a gradual approach to integration, proposing specific timelines and bolstering EU support mechanisms to the candidate countries. While EU accession is the ultimate priority for the countries in the region, it cannot be achieved without the EU addressing regional stability, countering external influences, and ensuring alignment between the strategic goals of the Union and the Western Balkans.?
?? READ HERE?
Renewing Europe: A How-to-guide for EU policy makers?
One of the biggest questions of the upcoming mandate is what areas policymakers should focus on the most. The twenty-first century has brought a multitude of interconnected crises that touch every aspect of our lives. We have reached a point where returning to the ‘good old days of the past’ is a utopian idea. Uncertainty about the future triggers many fears, and populist forces do not hesitate to exploit these fears against European citizens and progressive and liberal?forces.?
Instead of fearing what is coming, liberals should embrace challenges and defend the interests of European citizens, in other words, ‘own the future’. It is with this thought in mind that we have created our recent publication, ‘Renewing Europe: A How-to-Guide for EU Policy Makers’, in collaboration with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.?
This book is a forward-looking exploration of Europe's potential transformation by 2029, divided into three key sections. It addresses institutional reforms and policymaking, technological advancements with sustainability and energy solutions, and security, defence, and civil protection. The 13 chapters offer practical ideas on how we can position Europe as a global leader.?
?? READ HERE?
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Copyright ? 2024 European Liberal Forum (ELF). All rights reserved. Published by the European Liberal Forum, co-funded by the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this newsletter or for any use that may be made of it.?