At the European Council meeting on 19 March 2026, European Union leaders agreed to launch a new agenda, ‘One Europe, One Market’, aimed at strengthening the EU’s competitiveness and unleashing the full potential of the single market. The agenda responds to the long-standing fragmentation of the internal market and to increasing global competition, which limits the ability of European companies to grow, innovate and compete in global markets.

The European Council stressed that a stronger and deeper single market is a key prerequisite for economic growth, the creation of quality jobs and the strengthening of the EU’s strategic autonomy. While the single market is one of the greatest achievements of European integration, it still faces significant obstacles, in particular in the areas of services, labour mobility, capital flows and the digital economy.

As part of the ‘One Europe, One Market’ agenda, EU leaders agreed on concrete actions with clear time-bound milestones to be implemented in 2026-2027. The priorities include in particular removing barriers to the four freedoms, simplifying rules and reducing the administrative burden for businesses, so that they can operate and expand their activities across Member States more efficiently.

One of the key elements is also the introduction of the so-called 28th company law regime (“EU Inc.”), which is intended to make it easier for companies to set up and operate a business across the EU. Other measures focus on better mutual recognition of professional qualifications, enhancing workforce mobility and wider use of digital tools, including the “once-only” principle when communicating with public administrations.

The European Council also stressed the importance of accessible and affordable energy as a key factor for competitiveness, as well as the need to mobilise private investment and make better use of European savings to support investment in innovation, industrial transformation and strategic sectors. Progress in individual areas will be regularly assessed at the European Council level.

A more detailed overview of the approved priorities, measures and the timeframe of the “One Europe, One Market” agenda is available at this link.