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EU President Urges “Enhanced Cooperation” Between Member States
(MENAFN) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday called on EU capitals to explore “enhanced cooperation” when unanimous agreement among all 27 member states proves elusive, warning that failure to act could jeopardize Europe’s global competitiveness.
“Our ambition should always be to reach agreement among all 27 Member States,” von der Leyen wrote in a letter to EU leaders obtained by Euractiv ahead of a Thursday meeting at Belgium’s Alden Biesen castle.
“However, where a lack of progress or ambition risks undermining Europe's competitiveness or capacity to act, we should not shy away from using the possibilities foreseen in the treaties on enhanced cooperation,” she added.
Her statement coincides with Germany’s push for a “two-speed” Europe, a strategy intended to break decision-making deadlocks and strengthen the bloc’s economies.
In late January, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil suggested that a core group of EU countries should move forward on critical policies to bolster Europe’s strength and independence.
“Now is the time for a Europe of two speeds,” Klingbeil said at an event in Berlin, later inviting France, Poland, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands to a video conference to set an “ambitious and concrete” agenda aimed at reinforcing Europe’s sovereignty, resilience and competitiveness.
Von der Leyen also identified the bloc’s single market as a significant barrier to growth, warning that inconsistent national regulations effectively impose a 45% tariff on goods and a 110% tariff on services.
She urged immediate efforts to eliminate trade obstacles and standardize rules, especially tackling the practice of “gold-plating,” where countries—most notably Germany—layer additional national requirements on top of EU legislation.
The Commission president also noted informal coalitions forming among EU capitals on initiatives like “Made-in-Europe” standards.
The Commission intends to collaborate with member states and the European Parliament to approve a “joint roadmap on the single market” at a leaders’ summit in March, aiming to deepen economic integration and maintain the EU’s competitiveness in a fast-evolving global economy, the letter said.
“Our ambition should always be to reach agreement among all 27 Member States,” von der Leyen wrote in a letter to EU leaders obtained by Euractiv ahead of a Thursday meeting at Belgium’s Alden Biesen castle.
“However, where a lack of progress or ambition risks undermining Europe's competitiveness or capacity to act, we should not shy away from using the possibilities foreseen in the treaties on enhanced cooperation,” she added.
Her statement coincides with Germany’s push for a “two-speed” Europe, a strategy intended to break decision-making deadlocks and strengthen the bloc’s economies.
In late January, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil suggested that a core group of EU countries should move forward on critical policies to bolster Europe’s strength and independence.
“Now is the time for a Europe of two speeds,” Klingbeil said at an event in Berlin, later inviting France, Poland, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands to a video conference to set an “ambitious and concrete” agenda aimed at reinforcing Europe’s sovereignty, resilience and competitiveness.
Von der Leyen also identified the bloc’s single market as a significant barrier to growth, warning that inconsistent national regulations effectively impose a 45% tariff on goods and a 110% tariff on services.
She urged immediate efforts to eliminate trade obstacles and standardize rules, especially tackling the practice of “gold-plating,” where countries—most notably Germany—layer additional national requirements on top of EU legislation.
The Commission president also noted informal coalitions forming among EU capitals on initiatives like “Made-in-Europe” standards.
The Commission intends to collaborate with member states and the European Parliament to approve a “joint roadmap on the single market” at a leaders’ summit in March, aiming to deepen economic integration and maintain the EU’s competitiveness in a fast-evolving global economy, the letter said.
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