EU State? CIP regrets that competitiveness has lost prominence

Na statement, the CIP considered “a good thing that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, acknowledged in the European Parliament the seriousness of the challenges facing Europe and the need to take greater responsibility for its future”.

However, the organisation would like “competitiveness, as a cross-cutting economic priority, to have had a greater role in the discourse on the State of the European Union”.

“ It is significant that competitiveness, which was presented as the central priority of the European Commission, has now been seconded,” said Rafael Alves Rocha, director-general of CIP, quoted in the same note.

“ The European countries and their companies cannot allow this to happen, as the problems identified by the Draghi Plan are far from being solved,” he pointed out, pointing out that, for the CIP, the solution to these problems is “by giving priority to increasing competitiveness by reconciling it with European cohesion policies.”.

According to CIP, for those investing and producing in Europe, “reality remains high energy costs, too much regulatory complexity and a Single Market that is still far from functioning as such”.

“Europe needs more speed in decision-making and implementation: success cannot be measured by the number of new initiatives or strategies, it must be measured by the ability to achieve them and the difference they make for those who invest, produce, employ and compete in Europe,” said Rafael Alves Rocha.

CIP has ensured that it ‘shares Ursula von der Leyen’s concerns with the distortions of international trade and excessive external dependence, particularly on China’.

According to Rafael Alves Rocha, “Europe must be able to respond firmly to unfair trade practices and distortions that put European companies in unequal conditions of competition”, stressing that “this does not mean closing the European market, but implies, for example, that the European Union is quick to conclude an ‘anti-dumping’ investigation.”.

The European Union “can’t ask companies to increase their resilience without creating the conditions for them to do so without losing even more competitiveness,” he said.

“ For an economy like Portuguese, diversifying markets, suppliers and partners is an essential part of our resilience,” he said.

The Director-General of CIP welcomed the presence of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Strasbourg and “the importance of strengthening ties with credible partners, despite the need to understand in more detail what is the proposal of an EU member of the EU enunciated by Ursula von der Leyen”.

But CIP regretted the lack of references to the United States. “Regardless of current political and commercial tensions, the transatlantic relationship remains structural for the European economy and must continue to be preserved and developed,” said Rafael Alves Rocha.

The organisation also stressed that the strengthening of energy networks and interconnections in the European Union presented in December 2025 is ‘essential for European competitiveness’, noting that ‘this point has not been explicitly mentioned in Ursula von der Leyen’s speech.

The CIP also expressed itself “surprised by the limited attention given to the next Multiannual Financial Framework at a time when the Commission’s proposal is in full negotiation”.

For the organisation it is also important to “the business dimension of security and defence policy”, with Rafael Alves Rocha indicating that “a Europe that assumes responsibility for its security needs to strengthen its industrial and technological base”.