Europe’s Single Market Must Deliver, Says BusinessEurope President

Witucki emphasized three immediate priorities: accelerating the energy transition, removing lingering trade barriers, and harnessing Europe’s talent pool. He warned that “we have been concentrating on the decarbonisation of the economy… we will not save it if we have no industries, no revenues, no taxes to pay for it.” He called for swift implementation of existing plans rather than searching for “silver bullets.”

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The single market, conceived in the 1980s, remains incomplete, according to Witucki, who described historic “defensive measures… built 20 years ago, 30 years ago” as increasingly irrelevant for modern services. He linked these barriers to “billions of euros… the equivalent of 50 %” of potential gains. The energy dimension is framed by “fraught geopolitics” that, in his view, accelerate the need for reliable, affordable supplies.

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Drawing on his experience in Poland, Witucki highlighted the country’s recent economic performance—GDP more than doubled over a decade and grew about 3 % in 2024 after a deregulation drive that produced “160 bills… within three, four months.” He suggested that other EU members could emulate this “young Europe” mindset to unlock resources and adapt faster.

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• “I think today [we need to] stay focused on what is already in the pipeline. So don't look for any silver bullets, we already have plans — just implement them,” — Maciej Witucki, president of BusinessEurope

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• “Only Europe as a whole can compete with the other superpowers in the world,” — Maciej Witucki

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• “We somehow envy SpaceX for the super rockets. The real single market is a SpaceX of Europe, it's a starship of Europe because if we really keep those barriers, we have billions of euros which are being lost, [the equivalent] of 50%,” — Maciej Witucki

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• “In Europe, we have Elon Musks and we have Mark Zuckerbergs.” — Maciej Witucki

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• “I go back to the European situation, we have all the necessary resources, the capital one, the human ones, it's just a question of how we put them together,” — Maciej Witucki

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