Overview
- At an Alden Biesen retreat, leaders endorsed accelerating measures to deepen the single market, unlock private capital and cut red tape, with a push to complete the first phase of a savings and investment union by June.
- Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged a March action plan, including a proposed 28th‑regime corporate framework and a European‑preference initiative targeting strategic sectors.
- Divisions persisted over joint EU borrowing, with Germany rejecting new pooled debt, and over the scope of a “Buy European” policy, which is trending toward targeted, proportional use and potential inclusion of trusted partners.
- Leaders signaled readiness to use enhanced cooperation if all 27 cannot agree, with a June decision point floated for either bloc‑wide action or smaller‑group progress.
- High industrial energy costs remained a core concern as some called for deregulation and even revisiting elements of the EU carbon market, while von der Leyen defended the emissions trading system’s safeguards.