Brussels, BELGIUM – The new Single Market Strategy unveiled today by the European Commission contains welcome steps towards smarter enforcement and digitalisation, according to the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA Europe).
However, the digital sector warns that the Strategy still lacks the bold course correction needed to make the EU Single Market truly work in practice, and cautions that it includes worrying signs of a top-down approach to standard-setting and procurement.
CCIA Europe welcomes the shift in focus to implementation, over additional layers of rules. Promising proposals like Single Market Sherpas, a stronger enforcement taskforce, and EU-level oversight of e-commerce imports could help reduce friction across Member States. The Commission’s drive to digitalise compliance, including the Digital Product Passport, is another positive step that could reduce paperwork and improve market access.
Nonetheless, the Strategy fails to offer a coherent plan to streamline or eliminate existing regulatory barriers. The Commission has missed key opportunities to tackle the current framework’s overlapping rules and delays in providing guidance on existing legislation.
Businesses still face a patchwork of conflicting obligations, and the proposed ‘Single Market Test’ for new laws falls short of the deeper reforms required. CCIA Europe had called for stronger scrutiny throughout the legislative process, including a more empowered Regulatory Scrutiny Board – but these structural flaws remain unaddressed.
More worrying are signs of a return to top-down EU policymaking. The Commission’s push for ‘Buy European’ in public procurement, and its proposals to prioritise Commission-defined ‘technical ‘specifications’ over established expert-led standardisation processes, risk stifling innovation and undermining EU competitiveness.
The following can be attributed to CCIA Europe’s Head of Policy and Deputy Head of Office, Alexandre Roure:
“Much of this Single Market Strategy is heading in the right direction – from stronger enforcement coordination and better implementation across Member States, to the use of digital tools that simplify compliance with product rules and reporting requirements.”
“However, we are concerned by top-down proposals on technical standardisation and a ‘European preference’ in procurement. In both cases, the Commission seems to believe it could be better positioned to meet market needs than industry experts or customers on the ground.”
“Whether this Strategy delivers meaningful progress or just a patchwork of quick fixes will depend on turning promising ideas into real action. All of this must benefit the broader economy – not just a narrow slice of companies – and the Commission must resist the temptation to centralise where flexibility and market-driven solutions deliver better results.”
