Vorschläge zur Vertiefung des EU-Binnenmarkts

Economic cooperation lies at the heart of European integration. Family businesses all over the European Union (EU) are doing their utmost to ensure that Europe grows together economically. However, a recent survey by the ifo Institue conducted on behalf of the Foundation for Family Businesses shows that family businesses are widely dissatisfied with the EU’s economic policy:

Instead of improving location factors for European companies in an increasingly competitive global market, excessive bureaucracy and a constantly growing number of reporting obligations weaken the European economy. It is urgently required to set a new course and to gear EU policy towards strengthening competitiveness.

The mentioned survey shows that family businesses highly value the EU Single market and its four fundamental freedoms (see graph by the Foundation for Family Businesses below). While the U.S. and China are exerting economic pressure on the EU, a complete deepening of the Single market offers the opportunity to fully exploit its potential and thus increase Europe's competitiveness and productivity.

However, the Single market’s economic dynamic and efficiency are currently hampered by the excessive burden of regulations and red tape. To ensure an effective deepening of the Single market, family businesses urgently call for the following measures to be adopted in the EU Single market strategy 2025:

• Removal of regulatory and administrative burdens and prevention of new barriers: Regulations should facilitate and not hinder economic activities in the Single market. The expected “EU Omnibus Legislation” should, hence, widely simplify rules and procedures and revise EU legislation, such as the CSRD, CSDDD, and EUDR. Europe's strength also lies in large, internationally operating family businesses: They are heavily affected by the massive increase in bureaucracy and should be relieved.
• More regulations, fewer directives: EU institutions should prioritize the use of regulations when developing binding Single market rules to ensure an improved harmonization of the Single market and to prevent so-called “gold-plating” on a national level.
• Introduction of an EU-wide Single market office: European companies operating in more than one EU Member State must report to different national authorities, which leads to reporting the same information not just once but multiple times.
• More harmonization regarding the free movement of persons: The posting of employees to other EU Member States is still associated with massive bureaucratic burdens.
• Enhance digitalization: Two-thirds of family businesses criticise the lack of technical support dealing with massively increased administrative burden, for example in the form of digital offerings. E.g., by introducing an EU-wide digital system, which automates the exchange of data between authorities, companies would avoid redundant transmission of information.
• Simplify the A1 certificate requirements (form for social security rights): The requirement should be lifted for short postings of workers (up to five days).