ECR Member Lorenzo Galligani today presented his working document on the "Single Market Strategy" at the Commission for Economic Policy's (ECON) meeting. The opinion will be framed within the Single Market Strategy presented by the European Commission last May. Mr Galligani also met stakeholders and other interested parties to exchange views on the Strategy and the upcoming CoR opinion.

"We have the unique opportunity to modernise the EU's common market, supporting growth of our businesses and competitiveness of our territories, and I am glad that I could meet with the European Commission and relevant stakeholders to gather their perspective on what has to be done to boost Europe's growth and competitiveness through the Single Market", said Mr Galligani.

The Strategy is the result of a long process, first initiated when the European Council and the Commission requested two Former Italian Prime Ministers, Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi, to draw up two reports on the Single Market and European Competitiveness. Cutting bureaucracy and red tape are crucial for a better functioning Single Market: it is estimated that removing remaining barriers could generate economic benefits worth hundreds of billions of euros every year.

"The Single Market must not be just a slogan, but a goal that is yet to be completed", added Mr Galligani. "We must end the bureaucracy, fragmented rules, and administrative burdens that do not allow European businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to grow". Greater transparency, more effective implementation of policies, removing the so-called "terrible 10 single market barriers", implementing digital tools that can be useful for SMEs, balanced regulation: those were the points raised by Mr Galligani during his presentation to ECON and echoed by several members.

"I believe that the Single Market must return to its original mission: an engine of growth, innovation and jobs. But to do so, we need more than declarations of intent: we need resolute action at EU level and a strong commitment to implementing the rules at all levels of government", Mr Galligani concluded.

Galligani's opinion will be voted by the ECON Commission on 27 November and by the CoR Plenary in March 2026.