Von der Leyen’s Growth Gambit: EU Commission President Urges Bloc to Prioritize Economic Expansion

Brussels shifts focus from regulation to acceleration. The European Commission is pushing a new mandate—growth, and fast.

The Growth Imperative

Forget the rulebook. The message from the top is clear: economic expansion is now the bloc's primary KPI. This isn't about gentle nudges; it's a strategic pivot designed to rewire the EU's often bureaucratic engine for speed and scale. The old playbook of harmonization and caution is being shelved for a more aggressive, outcome-driven approach.

Cutting Through the Red Tape

The directive implies a fundamental operational shift. Think streamlined approvals, incentivized investment, and policies that actively remove friction for businesses scaling across borders. The goal is to create a single market that doesn't just exist on paper but functions with the dynamism of a unified economic powerhouse. It's a move that could finally let the EU compete on agility, not just size.

A New Competitive Reality

This isn't happening in a vacuum. Global economic pressures and technological disruption are forcing the issue. The call to prioritize growth acknowledges that the EU can't regulate its way to prosperity if its underlying economy is being outpaced. It's a recognition that in today's landscape, stability without growth is just managed decline—a truth even the most cynical finance minister would grudgingly admit over an espresso.

von der Leyen identifies regulations as barriers to growth in Europe

In a closed-door meeting with ambassadors from EU member countries, President von der Leyen discussed barriers to growth in Europe, highlighting burdensome regulations and energy prices as major factors. According to the EU chief, the region should strive to strike a deal among all 27 member states.

However, von der Leyen notes that different ways to get around the objections of capitals will be considered to prevent “a lack of progress or ambition” if that proves impossible in vital areas of economic policy.

She argues that the only solution is to improve the bloc’s competitiveness to support its drive for independence. 

“It is clear that we can no longer do business as usual. Diverging national rules and trading conditions across Member States deter businesses from achieving their full potential and limit Europe’s competitiveness. Our primary focus must be to remove these internal barriers.”

–Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission

Meanwhile, von der Leyen warned in a letter to national leaders on January 9 that the EU is lagging in a world increasingly shaped by raw power, strategic rivalry, and weaponized dependencies. Her concerns come as EU leaders prepare to meet for a working retreat at Aiden Biesen castle in the Belgian countryside on January 12.

European Council summons EU leaders, Germany proposes deregulation

Last December, European Council President António Costa summoned EU presidents and prime ministers to an informal retreat in rural Belgium scheduled for February 12 this year. Top of the agenda is how to integrate the EU’s single market and leverage the EU’s economic size to ensure the continent is not sidelined. 

According to Costa, it is essential for the EU to remain calm and serene, and to continue striving to be constructive, especially when dealing with President Donald Trump. However, he added that the relationship between Brussels and Washington is not equal.

Costa previously emphasized that his greatest challenge since taking office has been stabilizing the EU-U.S. relationship. The dynamics between the two economic powers are currently different from what they once were, the European Commission president acknowledged. 

On the other hand, Germany is strongly advocating for slashing regulations if the EU wants a single market. The country has warned the bloc’s leadership that it will only be able to MOVE ahead with merging its national economies if it does not impose additional bureaucratic burdens on industry. 

Meanwhile, the position paper recently circulated in Berlin, Germany, notes that fixing current barriers to trade within the bloc’s common market will require specific, bold, and in some cases, uncomfortable actions. It will also require countries to accept voluntary national restrictions in the interest of the bloc’s common market.

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