ERT delegation meets Prime Minister Orbán

Budapest, 11 June 2024: With the upcoming Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union due to commence in July, a delegation from the European Round Table for Industry (ERT) met with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest this morning.

The meeting is part of a longstanding pattern of ERT meetings with heads of government before they assume the Presidency of the Council. The purpose was to discuss the best ways to empower a renewed long-term competitive strategy for Europe.

ERT Members, comprising CEOs and Chairs of some of the most significant industrial and technology companies in Europe, are committed to the European project and the peace and prosperity that the EU has provided for numerous decades.

As a fresh EU mandate will commence soon, the delegation exchanged views with Prime Minister Orbán on the most pressing challenges of the moment. As major employers, innovators and investors in European countries, industry seeks to contribute solutions.

The leaders exchanged on the following priority areas:

1. Strengthening Europe – Competitiveness & the Single Market:* ERT is a vocal advocate for the EU Single Market as a unique source of prosperity and resilience. The recent release of the Letta Report and the conclusions of the most recent Competitiveness Council meeting provide a runway to invest fresh political capital in advancing different aspects of the Single Market.

To that end, ERT continues to distribute a list of 100 Single Market obstacles submitted to the European Commission earlier this year, with a view to articulating how progress can be made. Addressing these obstacles can be transformative in reducing administrative burden, compliance costs and reporting obligations – by simplifying and harmonising the regulatory framework.

Completing the Single Market is a demanding, yet worthwhile objective, as it would benefit citizens across the EU-27 and strengthen Europe’s place in an increasingly fractured world order.

2. Green transition:Delivering the energy union and boosting the production and access to cleaner energy sources are two urgently required measures to address the risk of deindustrialisation currently facing Europe.

In view of the alarming pressure on energy-intensive industries, global competitiveness should be factored in to all policymaking.

3. Digital transition as a key pillar of Europe’s future success: The EU has to get back on its feet and ensure future-ready networks/connectivity. Alongside established issues such as slow, fragmented 5G rollout, AI developments, cloud computing, cybersecurity and data-sharing need attention if Europe is to be at the global forefront.

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Note to Editors:

The names of the CEOs & Chairs in the ERT delegation are listed on the final page of the PDF of this release available here.

* More information on ERT’s Single Market campaign can be found here: https://ert.eu/single-market. See in particular the Compendium and Technical Study.

** Link to the Competitiveness Council conclusions related to the Single Market: https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-10298-2024-INIT/en/pdf.

° Link to energy publications (competitiveness of energy-intensive industries & energy infrastructure): https://ert.eu/documents/energy2024/.

A full list of the membership of ERT is accessible here.