Introduction

Not so long ago, we were wondering what 2025 would be like. The year is four months in, and the new Commission has been at work for a bit longer, but time feels like years of speed and change.

Changing times require a thorough evaluation of how we should adapt to improve our citizens lives. Competition tools need to function in an open digital economy that offers space for innovation and aims for green, efficient standards and transparent, well-functioning markets.

Markets have evolved rapidly, becoming more global, interconnected, and dynamic as technological changes accelerate. However, this transformation has also revealed significant structural imbalances.

Europe faces a productivity and innovation gap, remains energy dependent, and risks a growing concentration of market power, especially in the tech sector.

Our supply chains rely heavily on external sources for key inputs such as advanced chips and critical raw materials. Over 80% of our digital infrastructure and technologies are imported, making us vulnerable to disruptions and external influences.

In such a fragile context, it is essential that the EU sets out its own course. We must adhere to our interests, values, and priorities in the interest of our citizens.

We need to manage our resources wisely. The way forward is to invest in a green and socially inclusive economy as a key driver for strategic resilience and social progress.

This requires investments. A suitable setting is necessary: skills, regulation, infrastructure, confidence, and predictability.

A well-functioning market prevents failures in key areas such as innovation, decarbonization, and resilience.

Regulation plays a key role, but there is still room for improvement. We must work on a more comprehensive approach, coordinating policies across markets and tools to effectively address the challenges of our time.