Parliamentarians debated activities aimed at boosting competitiveness, the challenges ahead of Europe, and the economic governance reform in the EU.
The topic of the first plenary session of the European Parliamentary Week held on 18 February 2025 was the improvement of the competitiveness of the EU through the single market, innovation policy, better regulations, and high-quality jobs.
As it was pointed out, in view of the challenges to be faced by Europe due to its decreased competitiveness, the need to ensure security for Europeans, and the accelerated geopolitical shifts, swift steps towards a deep reform are
necessary, among other things, to boost European investments in new technologies, the defence industry or the reduction of regulatory barriers.
The Parliamentarians have urged that “Europe needs to speed up to address the changes ahead and maintain the standard of living”. According to Senator Tomasz Grodzki, we need to take robust actions to facilitate business activities, reduce administrative burden, deepen the internal market, strengthen research, and introduce a plan for competitiveness and steady growth of the EU. Senator Waldemar Pawlak, the chairperson of the National Economy and Innovativeness Committee, drew the members’ attention to the problem of regulatory effectiveness. Mario Draghi presented the key findings from the report on the future of European competitiveness in the context of accelerated changes witnessed all around the world, among other things. The major challenges include low competitiveness, aligning decarbonisation with industrial competitiveness, and high costs of energy. In his view, in the light of accelerated evolution of Artificial Intelligence, American tariffs, increasing costs of liquid gas, isolation regarding the war in Ukraine, and problems with funds for investments, it becomes urgent for the European Commission and the European Parliament to take radical actions in close cooperation with national governments and parliaments.
The second session focused on national plans within the modified EU economic governance framework. Parliamentarians welcomed the changes introduced, and they pointed out problems with achieving the objectives set. Vice-President of the European Parliament Katarina Barley reminded that the economic governance reform had come into effect nine months before. As she emphasised, the best time for its initial evaluation is now. She informed that 22 out of 27 EU Member States had prepared their mid-term plans. Twenty-one plans were approved by the EU Council and the European Commission. Massimo Suardi, a director in the European Commission, discussed the objectives of the economic governance reform. He emphasised that the European Commission encouraged national parliaments of EU Member States to hold debates on mid-term plans. The new framework was positively assessed by Roel Beetsma, an ex-member of the European Fiscal Board. In his opinion, the implementation of the reform is a matter of urgency and should be continuous and not episodic. He also advocated for the approach in which certain types of expenditure, such as expenditure for defence, would be effected at the EU level. According to the chairperson of the European Union Affairs Committee, Tomasz Grodzki, the implementation of the new governance framework is a process that requires monitoring. The deputy chairperson of the Public Finances Committee, deputy Zofia Czernow, raised the issue of enhancing the competitiveness of EU businesses. According to the deputy, it is necessary to review the regulatory framework in order to reduce unnecessary burdens and transaction costs for market participants. The chairperson of the Budget and Public Finances Committee, senator Kazimierz Kleina, emphasised the need to ensure control and transparency when adopting the State’s budget. In Poland, this objective is to be achieved by the Act on the Fiscal Council.
Parliamentarians debated activities aimed at boosting competitiveness, the challenges ahead of Europe, and the economic governance reform in the EU.
The topic of the first plenary session of the European Parliamentary Week held on 18 February 2025 was the improvement of the competitiveness of the EU through the single market, innovation policy, better regulations, and high-quality jobs.
As it was pointed out, in view of the challenges to be faced by Europe due to its decreased competitiveness, the need to ensure security for Europeans, and the accelerated geopolitical shifts, swift steps towards a deep reform are necessary, among other things, to boost European investments in new technologies, the defence industry or the reduction of regulatory barriers.
The Parliamentarians have urged that “Europe needs to speed up to address the changes ahead and maintain the standard of living”. According to Senator Tomasz Grodzki, we need to take robust actions to facilitate business activities, reduce administrative burden, deepen the internal market, strengthen research, and introduce a plan for competitiveness and steady growth of the EU. Senator Waldemar Pawlak, the chairperson of the National Economy and Innovativeness Committee, drew the members’ attention to the problem of regulatory effectiveness. Mario Draghi presented the key findings from the report on the future of European competitiveness in the context of accelerated changes witnessed all around the world, among other things. The major challenges include low competitiveness, aligning decarbonisation with industrial competitiveness, and high costs of energy. In his view, in the light of accelerated evolution of Artificial Intelligence, American tariffs, increasing costs of liquid gas, isolation regarding the war in Ukraine, and problems with funds for investments, it becomes urgent for the European Commission and the European Parliament to take radical actions in close cooperation with national governments and parliaments.
The second session focused on national plans within the modified EU economic governance framework. Parliamentarians welcomed the changes introduced, and they pointed out problems with achieving the objectives set. Vice-President of the European Parliament Katarina Barley reminded that the economic governance reform had come into effect nine months before. As she emphasised, the best time for its initial evaluation is now. She informed that 22 out of 27 EU Member States had prepared their mid-term plans. Twenty-one plans were approved by the EU Council and the European Commission. Massimo Suardi, a director in the European Commission, discussed the objectives of the economic governance reform. He emphasised that the European Commission encouraged national parliaments of EU Member States to hold debates on mid-term plans. The new framework was positively assessed by Roel Beetsma, an ex-member of the European Fiscal Board. In his opinion, the implementation of the reform is a matter of urgency and should be continuous and not episodic. He also advocated for the approach in which certain types of expenditure, such as expenditure for defence, would be effected at the EU level. According to the chairperson of the European Union Affairs Committee, Tomasz Grodzki, the implementation of the new governance framework is a process that requires monitoring. The deputy chairperson of the Public Finances Committee, deputy Zofia Czernow, raised the issue of enhancing the competitiveness of EU businesses. According to the deputy, it is necessary to review the regulatory framework in order to reduce unnecessary burdens and transaction costs for market participants. The chairperson of the Budget and Public Finances Committee, senator Kazimierz Kleina, emphasised the need to ensure control and transparency when adopting the State’s budget. In Poland, this objective is to be achieved by the Act on the Fiscal Council.
