The EU Common Market: Obstacles and Strategic Transformation

According to a Euronews report published on May 20, 2026, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her desire to complete the European single market by reducing bureaucracy, accelerating digital transformation, and protecting social inclusion. It was stated that the EU needs to remove the remaining barriers to the common market in order to compete in the current geopolitical environment, emphasizing the need to make growth across Europe much easier.

Von der Leyen cited "gold plating," a practice where member states impose unnecessary additional obligations on EU rules, as one of the main obstacles to corporate growth across the bloc.

The Commission President stated that the common market would be made “digital by design.” In this context, attention was drawn to EU initiatives in the fields of semiconductors, cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence.

Touching upon climate policies, von der Leyen stated that for the EU to achieve its environmental and circular economy goals, a common market is needed that rewards clean innovation and removes barriers to trade in low-carbon products and services.

It was also stated that the EU is working on new trade agreements regarding supply chain resilience, and that an agreement with Mexico is expected to be signed this week.

Concluding by emphasizing that the benefits of the common market should reach every region and every citizen, the Commission President stated, “The common market is one of Europe’s greatest success stories. But success is not something inherited from previous generations. It requires continuous work, vision, and political will.”

Reference

Euronews. (2026, Mayıs 20). Von der Leyen: AB, ortak pazardaki engelleri kaldırmalı. Euronews. https://tr.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/05/20/von-der-leyen-ab-ortak-pazardaki-engelleri-kaldirmali