Making the Single Market work with more ambition, not more rules
Ceemet, the voice of Europe’s industry and tech employers, welcomes the European Commission’s 2025 Strategy for the Single Market. At a time when Europe needs a competitive edge to face global challenges, this strategy takes the right approach by focusing on deeper political commitment and making existing rules work.
The Single Market is a cornerstone of European prosperity. Completing it is more than just an economic necessity for our industries, especially in the Metal, Engineering and Technology (MET) sectors. From cross-border services to workforce mobility, our companies face barriers that should no longer exist decades after the market’s creation. The new strategy offers an opportunity to fix many of these obstacles.
“We don’t need more rules to move Europe forward; we need the determination and focus to implement fully the ones we have. Our industries are ready to deliver innovation and prosperity if the Single Market truly delivers for them.” – Delphine Rudelli, Director General, Ceemet
Simplifying EU rules for a stronger Single Market
Ceemet strongly supports the Commission’s objective to tackle overly complex EU rules by focusing on simplification and better regulation. Businesses are indeed struggling with overlapping and inconsistent obligations that consume time as well as human and financial resources. The Omnibus Packages launched by the Commission since February 2025, are steps in the right direction.
In particular, we welcome the extension of SME exemptions to small mid-caps and the shift from document-based to data-based compliance. These changes are practical and long-awaited, and they support our shared goal of digital transition. We also back the introduction of Competitiveness Checks in impact assessments to ensure no new obstacles are introduced through EU legislation.
We will be watching closely to see which further simplification proposals emerge and urge the Commission to maintain a close dialogue with social partners to ensure that rules are simpler, not just on paper but in practice.
Boosting labour mobility and faster recognition of qualifications
Skill shortages remain one of the biggest threats to industrial competitiveness. Enabling the free movement of workers is essential. Yet today, workers still face unnecessary hurdles when trying to have their professional qualifications recognised across borders.
Recognition procedures today are often too slow and complex, discouraging mobility and pushing skilled workers into roles that underutilise their potential. Bureaucratic barriers in this field should be removed without placing additional burdens on companies.
Hence, Ceemet welcomes the commitment to modernise and accelerate those procedures of recognition of qualifications, including through the greater use of digital tools. Moreover, digital tools are essential to improve labour mobility and make full use of the talent Europe already has.
Making cross-border service provision easier
Temporary posting of workers is a vital element of service delivery in our sector. Many of our companies do not just sell machines to their clients in Europe, but also provide related services by installing, maintaining and repairing machines. Burdensome posting procedures have become a recurring challenge for our sector. Ceemet supports the Commission’s intention to streamline the processes of social security (A1) and labour law (e-Declaration) and to better tailor enforcement of the posting rules through requirements to the risk profile of postings. For highly skilled, short-term postings, the administrative burden should be proportionate and harmonised. Disproportionate ex-ante checks at the Member State level for non-risk postings must be tackled.
We also seek clarification on how the planned 2026 initiative, aiming to make it easier to temporarily provide services cross-border will interact with the proposal on the provision of industry-related services. These two actions must work hand in hand. If appropriately designed, they could unlock real gains for our companies and their workers.
Overall, Ceemet is happy to see that the Commission’s objectives align with its longstanding call for measures to streamline legislation with a view to facilitating the provisions of services and the posting of workers.
Keeping SMEs at the heart of the strategy
Europe is a continent of SMEs, and the vast majority of MET companies fall into this category. According to Eurostat, micro and small businesses make up 99% of enterprises in the EU. Ceemet has long championed the “think small first” principle, and we are pleased to see more substantial commitments to SME impact checks: all new rules must be tested for SME-friendliness.
The 2025 Single Market Strategy is a step forward. It calls for real delivery on the Single Market promise our citizens and businesses have been waiting for. Ceemet is ready to support this effort and work with policymakers to ensure the strategy becomes a reality on the ground.