Belgium holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the next six months. Strengthening our competitiveness; pursuing a green and just transition; defending rule of law, democracy, and unity; reinforcing our social and health agenda; protecting people and borders and promoting a global Europe are the main priorities of the Presidency. GROW has already established a close cooperation and looks forward to working together to make Europe's Single Market stronger and ensure conditions for EU Industry and businesses to flourish!

A year and a half after the adoption of the proposal by the Commission and after intense debates between the co-legislators, the worldwide first-of-a-kind Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) has finally been agreed upon! It paves the way for more sustainable products and consumption modes across the European Union by 2028. But do you know all about ESPR? Test your knowledge here.

The Commission welcomed end of last year the provisional agreement on the construction products regulation, but do you know what it is all about? Which products are covered, and which are not? Would you be able to answer to at least half of this quiz correctly?

In this episode of the Business Planet programme in collaboration with Euronews, you will travel to Poland to discover how the Silesian Aviation Cluster is helping more than 100 European firms extend their international reach by sharing knowledge and innovative solutions.

The European Commission has approved a €902 million German measure to support Northvolt in the construction of a plant for the production of batteries for electric vehicles to foster the transition towards a net-zero economy, in line with the Green Deal Industrial Plan. The aid was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework, adopted by the Commission on 9 March 2023 and amended on 20 November 2023, to support measures in sectors which are key to accelerate the green transition and reduce fuel dependencies.

The measure will take the form of a tax credit, it will be open to companies which plan projects to invest in the production of solar panels, batteries, wind turbines and heat pumps, as well as key components for producing this equipment and critical materials required for their production.

The results provide findings about businesses facing tighter financing conditions in the past year due to the general economic downturn. More specifically, the 2023 Survey on the Access to Finance of Enterprises (SAFE) shows that nearly eight in ten businesses experienced increased interest rates.  In addition, over a third of businesses with plans to grow in the next two to three years see too high interest rates or prices as the most important limitation to accessing finance in the future.

The 2023 SME Fund aimed at supporting innovation and entrepreneurship among small and medium-sized businesses. It received 34.801 applications in 2023, and 22.899 SMEs were supported financially which is a significant increase of  55% compared to  2022.  78% of applications came from the SMEs which protected their intellectual property for the first time.  Building on the success of the SME Fund 2023, in January 2024 the Commission will launch  a revamped 2024 SME Fund to provide SMEs with financial support to better manage and protect their intangible assets.

The European Commission published the first results of the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) project to assess the implementation of the green and digital transition within each industrial ecosystem. The project analyses the EU’s industrial sustainable competitiveness by measuring supply and demand of skills, investments and funding, and technology development and adoption. The first industrial ecosystem reports are now available on the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems website.

The European Commission has set up an operational system to channel in-kind donations from third countries and the private sector to Ukraine, Moldova, and neighbouring EU countries. The aim is to help civilians affected by the war in Ukraine. Via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, the EU coordinates the overall donation process, from the expression of interest to the timely and safe delivery of donated items to local authorities. The in-kind donations become a part of the rescEU reserve that the EU established to offer an additional layer of protection when disasters strike.

This article examines the EU’s role in providing a regulatory model for product requirements aimed at protecting health, safety, and the environment. It reveals a significant link between the existence of such product requirements in the EU and the subsequent implementation of analogous requirements in other countries. The driving forces behind this phenomenon are attributed to both market-driven elements, such as the importance of the EU as an export market for other countries, and treaty-driven elements, such as the existence of trade agreements between the EU and other countries.

The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) is calling for SMEs and users to test its forthcoming exposure drafts on simplified sustainability reporting standard for listed SMEs and voluntary sustainability reporting standard for non-listed SMEs. Participation in this field test is a unique opportunity to be part of the standard setting process, help shape future requirements, and gain valuable insights into the new requirements.  The deadline to confirm interest is 31 January 2024.

Are you an SME (or do you represent a group of SMEs) doing business in another EU country? Or do you ever think about expanding abroad within the EU? Then this survey is for you! It takes less than 10 minutes and it’s available in all EU languages. Let us know what you think and expect of Your Europe. Your Europe is the EU’s “single digital gateway”, a one-stop shop for all SMEs and citizens with reliable information about rules and procedures in the EU single market, several assistance services and a tool to report obstacles. Last but not least, it supports the Once-Only Technical System. This system makes cross-border paperwork a lot easier when you are doing business in the EU.

In the context of the European Year of Skills, and in view of improving the attractiveness of working and the mobility of workers in the European tourism sector, GROW has invited tourism and hospitality vocational education and training (VET) schools among others to a large-scale webinar to inform them about EU tourism policy in particular on skills, opportunities for apprenticeships and mobility under Erasmus+, as well as to allow them to share their views and concerns. To register to this webinar, please contact grow-g1@ec.europa.eu.

The event will present and discuss the transition pathway for the mobility ecosystem co-created with the industry and civil society. At the same time, the event will also kick-start the co-implementation process with a call for stakeholders’ pledges to underpin the actions of the transition pathway. Register here.

GROW organises the second edition of the Research Conference on the EU single market, after the first edition organised in December 2022 in Prague. The conference will be held in person in Brussels, and web streamed. The conference will bring together top researchers to present their findings and policy insights related to the EU single market. All papers presented at the conference will be posted on the GROW's website in the Single Market Economy Papers series. Register here.

On 15 March, the Transition Pathway for Tourism will be celebrating its two-year anniversary. To mark this milestone, GROW will organise a dedicated stakeholder event, reflecting on past achievements and future developments of the tourism ecosystem. The hybrid event will bring together policymakers and stakeholders, in Brussels and online (livestreaming available here), from 10:00 to 15:30 CET. Register here. 

Jointly organised by the Commission and the Belgian Presidency, this high-level event will look at how digital public services can further improve the functioning of the Single Market. Prominent experts and policy makers will exchange their ideas and insights on the achievements, the opportunities and the future of the Single Digital Gateway. If you are a professional responsible for developing, influencing, and managing implementation of IT projects for public, private and academic sectors at local, regional, national, and pan-European institutional levels, please contact us to join the event. This event is by invitation. If you are interested in joining, please send us an email and we will get back to you as soon as possible

The European Cluster Conference 2024 has been officially announced. Save the date! The event will take place on 7-8 May at the Square in Brussels. The conference will bring together Europe’s cluster community, including industry leaders, policymakers, researchers, and innovators from across Europe. The event will focus on the role of clusters in the Single Market, the EU's competitiveness, and expectations for cluster policy and practices for the next 5-year political cycle. Registrations will open on 1 February.

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