Three decades after it was launched, hundreds of barriers still persist within the EU. In an era of trade wars, Brussels has made it a key priority
The Financial Times article “Europe’s plan to finally make its single market work” explores how, despite three decades of promises, hundreds of barriers still fragment the EU’s single market and undermine competitiveness at a moment of global economic tension, trade wars, technological rivalry and geopolitical instability, prompting the European Commission to push a new integration strategy aimed at reducing regulatory inconsistencies, harmonising standards, simplifying cross-border business operations and strengthening the bloc’s industrial base. Through examples ranging from waste shipments and worker postings to packaging rules and divergent national approval regimes, the article shows how bureaucratic friction, uneven enforcement and protectionist instincts continue to impede growth and innovation across the continent.
Forbion Managing Partner Sander Slootweg is highlighted as a key industry voice, arguing that Europe’s inability to scale innovation is a “missed opportunity”: although the EU produces strong scientific output, he notes that slow, fragmented drug approval processes make “Europe not a very attractive market,” pushing early-stage pharma companies toward the US, while EU venture capital firms face burdensome, duplicative registration and maintenance requirements in every member state, an “inefficient” administrative burden that undermines Europe’s competitiveness and ability to nurture high-growth sectors.