US President Donald Trump, of all people, is leading the reform push in the European Union. Switzerland is right in the middle of it all with its EU package.
US President Donald Trump’s punitive tariffs have sparked criticism worldwide.
But in the European Union (EU) of all places, they are unblocking a reform backlog that has lasted for years.
New strategy in the works
The European Commission wants to simplify trade within the EU and thus arm the community of states against the US government’s punitive tariffs, numerous media reported, Wednesday.
This is shown by the draft of a new strategy that is currently doing the rounds in Brussels.
According to this, the Brussels authority is planning to dismantle barriers within the EU’s internal market. All of this is focused on the old strengths of Europeans, they said.
While the world is plunging into a phase of economic uncertainty due to trade conflicts, the EU market is a safe haven, the newspaper “Welt” quoted from the strategy paper.
National protectionism
According to the Commission, a 20 percent drop in US exports could be offset by a 2.4 percent increase in trade within the EU. Brussels addresses things that have been criticized for years.
Simplification for small and medium-sized companies, fewer obstacles and more digitalization are planned.
Many companies still face hurdles when operating across Europe, such as national approval procedures or complicated rules for the secondment of skilled workers.
The protectionism of nation states is a welcome development. The governments of the individual countries protect their domestic markets as a result.
Lack of standards
The Commission, headed by German, Ursula von der Leyen, wants to abolish the ten biggest barriers.
In its yet-unpublished strategy paper, Brussels refers to the “Terrible Ten”. Most of them are the same as they were 20 years ago, the EU authorities even admitted themselves.
For example, there are still too many different regulations for labels and packaging in Europe and too few harmonized standards for machines and technologies.
There was also a lack of uniform standards for product safety. All of this leads to legal uncertainty and slows down innovation.
Star economist sees growing together
Another problem is that many national authorities still do not recognize university degrees and certificates from other EU countries.
According to the Commission, the short-term posting of workers is also far too complicated.
At a recent lecture in Lucerne, star economist Hans-Werner Sinn even saw an opportunity for a United States of Europe in response to developments in the USA.
The EU also considered different national conditions for approvals and certifications of services, for example in the areas of health and safety, to be problematic.
Swiss-EU package in focus
This is precisely where Switzerland stands in its negotiations with the EU.
The new Swiss-EU treaty package is set to deal with precisely those issues, such as food safety and health.
Perhaps there can now be even more relief – all thanks to US President Trump and his punitive tariffs.
20.05.2025/kut./ena.
