stresses that investment in innovation, skills development and industrial capacities are indispensable means of both strengthening productivity and competitiveness and decreasing critical dependencies;
calls for making full use of trade and investment agreements, as well as starting new negotiations with new potential partners in order to diversify supply chains and expand product markets;
calls for the involvement of EU businesses and other relevant civil society organisations in the implementation of the economic security strategy, highlighting the importance of synergies between Member States;
highlights that energy and raw material security is crucial for all industries and thus key to the EU’s overall economic security
welcomes the SME relief package as an attempt to put SMEs at the core of European legislation and at the heart of European strategies, discussions, and actions in support of competitiveness. The next Commission should make this a priority and give it continuity.
believes that the Commission must ensure that the EU SME Envoy has an entrepreneurial background and a well-defined set of competencies and responsibilities in the upcoming 2024-2029 mandate, and that the position is accompanied by adequate resources in terms of staff and financial support.
supports the development of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as an alternative to court proceedings when consumers seek redress for the damage traders may cause them, alongside accessible judicial proceedings and enforcement of consumer rights by national authorities;
underlines the importance of encouraging Member States and industries to set up such schemes and of encouraging traders, including SMEs, to join them voluntarily and calls on the Commission to review the progress of ADR schemes three years after the implementation of the proposed Directive;
believes that the EU must adopt a competitiveness agenda which, in line with the principles of the single market and the social market economy, is forward-looking, well-defined and coordinated, and promotes the prosperity of businesses, quality jobs, raising living standards for EU citizens, and inclusiveness, while improving the ability of the EU system to innovate, invest and trade and compete in the global marketplace for the common good and drive our transition to climate neutrality;
believes that to revitalise the EU's competitiveness it is necessary to activate an integrated European industrial strategy, which, by promoting an integrated European industrial system, has as its key players: the company and its workers;
affirms the need for intermodality in all freight transport, while always bearing in mind the obligation to coordinate and optimise each mode of transport at European level;
is convinced that establishing an intermodal transport system requires the public to be informed of the advantageous prospects it offers: an intermodal transport system is designed to serve the public, it must influence decisions on transport projects and policies;
stresses that the success of this policy calls for full compliance with social rules as well as a specific and systematic training policy for company staff and managers;
calls for the application of this new measure to respect the rest and break periods of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers. Economic profitability must not adversely affect road safety or the working conditions of drivers in the EU.
welcomes the Commission's proposal to introduce a legal form of an ECBA in Member States' national legal systems;
proposes that all organisations that meet ECBA criteria and have their registered office in the European Union be able to acquire ECBA status, including organisations with executive body members that reside in non-EU countries;
recommends that the Commission and the Member States remove the legal and administrative obstacles that non-profit associations and entities face in accessing the internal market.
The EESC recommends that the current and next European Commissions should introduce a European Innovation Stress Test to screen each new piece of legislation and policy initiative. The proposed test should include ten questions:
believes that the Commission, with its proposal, is attempting to tackle the issue of long payments instead of late payments. It introduces excessively restrictive measures, instead of improving the current enforcement framework with more effective rules;
underlines the importance of flexible negotiations when setting payment terms and highlights strong concerns over the Commission proposal, believing that, in effect, the proposed 30-day cap eliminates contractual freedom between companies;
underlines that introducing national enforcement bodies may have potential benefits but stresses that such authorities will have to operate objectively and guarantee maximum confidentiality when processing the commercially sensitive information of both companies and public authorities, without imposing further reporting obligations.
emphasises that efforts to fight corruption should be better aligned with efforts to safeguard and develop democracy in the EU, noting that corrupt practices can offer political players illegal gains, which they use as resources to campaign and maintain their clientelism-based support system;
calls for the European public procurement market to be more advanced in digitisation, and for the Commission to continue to provide national authorities with technical support throughout this difficult process;
encourages the Commission and other EU and national institutions to consider worker representation, collective bargaining and social dialogue as key instruments to make anti-corruption effective at all levels.
suggests that the European Commission should push forward with the Social Economy Action Plan and evaluate its outcomes in 2025 to draw lessons for a new action plan. The social economy and social innovation policy should also be part of the next Commission's work programme;
advocates a strong local approach involving regions and cities in policies for the social economy. Public authorities can act as drivers of local development and promote relocalisation of production and the creation of decent jobs that cannot be relocated;
calls on the Commission to include the social economy and social innovation in initiatives stemming from its foresight report. Although meant primarily for women, these initiatives could help get other vulnerable population groups, including people with disabilities, young people and others, into the labour market.
