Roadmap to Strengthening the EU’s Competitiveness
On 24 March 2026, the German Economic Council of the CDU hosted a high-level discussion on how Europe can strengthen its competitiveness in an increasingly volatile geopolitical and geo-economic environment. The event, Roadmap to Strengthening the EU’s Competitiveness, took place at the Bundesverband deutscher Banken e. V. in Brussels and featured Michael Hager, Head of Cabinet to EU Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, as keynote speaker and discussion partner. The event was moderated by Dr. Detlef Fechtner, Head Reporter of the Börsen-Zeitung.
In her opening remarks, Astrid Hamker, President of the Wirtschaftsrat der CDU e.V., stressed that Europe is facing a profound political and economic turning point. In a world shaped by geopolitical rivalry, technological competition and growing uncertainty, Europe’s strategic autonomy begins with economic strength. Yet Europe has fallen behind: growth is too weak, investment too limited, innovation insufficient, and the regulatory environment too often undermines the continent’s own competitiveness. Ms Hamker underlined that Europe already has the necessary analysis. What is lacking now is the political will and the practical determination to act on it.
In agreement with Ms Hamker’s argument, Michael Hager emphasized the urgency of moving from analysis to action in his keynote speech. Hager described simplification as one of the defining political tasks of 2026 and argued that the first Omnibus had already demonstrated that meaningful regulatory rollback is possible. At the same time, he acknowledged that resistance to simplification remains strong.. Simplification, he argued, must therefore become a central political priority.
A key focus of Hager’s remarks was the internal market. He argued that Europe cannot hope to remain globally competitive while continuing to tolerate barriers within its own borders, whether in services, capital, energy, data or professional qualifications. In this context, he stressed the need for a renewed political push to tackle fragmentation more decisively and to pursue infringement procedures more consistently.
Another major theme of the discussion was financial regulation and Europe’s ability to mobilise capital. Hager argued that Europe must get capital flowing again. This requires not only deeper market integration, but also simplification in financial regulation and supervision.
Hager also addressed Europe’s technological and industrial potential. On innovation and AI in particular, he argued that Europe possesses major strengths, but too often fails to translate them into economic dynamism because fragmentation, overregulation and institutional risk aversion hold companies back.
Following the keynote, Michael Hager engaged in an in-depth exchange with Dr. Detlef Fechtner and the audience. The discussion covered a broad range of issues, including the future of the Omnibus packages, the need for a mindset shift inside the European institutions and the role of business in identifying unnecessary burdens., A recurring message throughout the discussion was that Europe must move beyond cautious incrementalism and pursue a more determined, faster and more execution-oriented approach to competitiveness policy.
The event concluded with Astrid Hamker, who thanked Michael Hager and Dr. Detlef Fechtner for the open and forward-looking discussion. She reiterated that Europe already knows what needs to be done to restore its competitiveness. The decisive challenge now is implementation: completing the Single Market, reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens, mobilising capital more effectively, and creating the conditions for private-sector dynamism in a more competitive global environment.
(©Eric Berghen)
