27 May 2026 in news: Industry

SEV Joins BusinessEurope Presidents’ Conference to Address European Competitiveness

On May 21–22, the President of the Executive Committee of SEV, Ms. Rania Aikaterinari, participated in the BusinessEurope Presidents’ Conference, which represents 42 national associations from 36 countries and more than 20 million companies.

During the Conference, the presidents of the employers’ organisations of the national associations exchanged views with Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne regarding the priorities of the Irish Presidency of the EU Council, which begins in July 2026. Greece will assume the Presidency exactly one year later, in July 2027.

Among the key topics discussed — and aligned with SEV’s policy agenda — was the need to:

  • Create the appropriate conditions for the implementation of the Clean Industrial Deal, which, beyond ensuring predictable and competitive energy prices and security of supply, also includes the reform of the Emissions Trading System (ETS) with stronger safeguards against carbon leakage, namely more realistic benchmarks, and a more gradual phase-out of free allowances.
  • Intensify efforts to simplify and reduce regulatory burden, including discussions on recently adopted legislations such as the Pay Transparency Directive.
  • Strengthen strategic autonomy in key sectors while preserving the openness of the European economy.

Given that the next EU budget for 2028–2034 will feature prominently on the political agenda, for SEV it remains a priority to:

  • Ensure that the Competitiveness Fund provides equal participation opportunities for countries on Europe’s periphery, with the aim of improving their integration into European value chains and strengthening the EU overall.
  • Secure adequate funding for cross-border transport connectivity, including missing links and structural bottlenecks that affect the continuity, capacity, and resilience of the transport network.
  • Reinforce defense cooperation within the EU, based on the SAFE rationale and a European preference clause in production.

Europe’s competitiveness agenda requires ambition, realism, and stronger alignment between policy and industrial priorities. The business community has an essential role to play in shaping a more resilient and competitive Europe.

Read the Dublin Declaration here.