Stéphane Séjourné: EU needs simplification, industry engagement; 2025/26 critical
Simplifying and aligning bureaucracy between member states, as well as increased consultation with industry are needed to ensure EU industry regains competitiveness in a changing world, says European Commissioner for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy Stéphane Séjourné. 2025 and 2026 are key years of action given global economic reorganisation.
Speaking at EU Industry Days 2025 in Rzeszow on Thursday, the commissioner said the EU’s focus is on three pillars – strengthening internal market competitiveness, protecting the external borders of the customs union and driving forward “Made In Europe”.
Simplifying and unifying rules across the EU is crucial to improve the functioning and growth of EU businesses but it is a challenge as these can be different from country to country, Séjourné pointed out.
This process would also support the “Made in Europe” initiative, which aims to enable EU manufacturers to penetrate new global markets with their products. “We need to strengthen some key sectors … to be more competitive on a global level,” Séjourné noted at the event attended by Kallanish.
“We need to protect our commercial border around the EU if we want to have an effective internal market,” he added.
EU industry is at a critical juncture with the emergence of China as a low-cost competitor in global markets for manufactured products amid global geopolitical fragmentation. Climate policies have resulted in high EU production costs, while investment climate and demand in the bloc remain subdued, not helped by the Ukraine war next door, now in its fourth year. The steel safeguard measure meanwhile expires next year.
The European Commission published its Clean Industrial Deal earlier this year, which is being followed by various sector-specific action plans, such as the Steel & Metals Action Plan published in March. These involve an unprecedented level of engagement with industry to establish the nature of required measures, most of which are being implemented in 2025 and 2026.
These years will be critical given the reorganisation of the global economy and some issues “we did not want to be there”, like US tariffs, Séjourné said. These nevertheless require the EU to react flexibly and with agility. “The method we use is as important as much as the target,” he concluded. This could be perceived as a rejection of US blanket tariffs, which lack the finesse of EU trade measures.
Adam Smith Poland
