Independent Retail Europe regrets the reduced level of ambition in the European Commission’s newly released Single Market Strategy

Independent Retail Europe regrets the reduced level of ambition in the European Commission’s newly released Single Market Strategy. While the strategy acknowledges several longstanding issues that have hindered the Single Market’s functioning for more than two decades, it ultimately falls short in respect of two major challenges that directly affect retail competitiveness and consumer welfare. Concretely, the absence of a dedicated legislative proposal to address territorial supply constraints is a missed opportunity, ignoring the political momentum to boost competitiveness and enforce the EU Single Market. Also, the unchanged SME definition remains a black stain, since economic realities have significantly changed in the last 20 years.