Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to join you here today to address such an esteemed audience at a critical time for the European Union. We face existential threats to Ukraine and the entire post-Cold-War security order. We must take bold steps to secure our future and boost the European economys competitiveness. Our security and prosperity are interdependent. Today, I will discuss the Commissions simplification agenda, a crucial part of these efforts. We are committed to making EU rules simpler and more effective for citizens and businesses. Last Tuesday, we adopted a strategy titled A simpler and faster Europe and our 2025 work programme, announcing measures to cut red tape. We aim to reduce administrative costs by 25% for all companies and 35% for SMEs, translating to roughly EUR 37.5 billion in annual savings by the end of this Commissions mandate. We will stress test existing EU rules and engage in implementation dialogues to foster good practices and prepare meaningful simplification proposals. Our goal is to create a regulatory framework that is agile and responsive, supporting the green and digital transitions and enhancing Europes competitiveness. Thank you very much.
European Commission
Source published: 21 February 2025