EU institutions sign roadmap for deepening the Single Market.

On the sidelines of an informal meeting of Heads of State or Government in Cyprus on 23 and 24 April, the Cypriot President representing the Council Presidency as well as the Presidents of the European Parliament and the European Commission signed the One Europe, One Market Roadmap. As a binding interinstitutional agreement, the roadmap sets out common objectives and priority legislative initiatives for deepening the Single Market by the end of 2027.

Agreed objectives

Through the roadmap, the three institutions commit to deepening the Single Market along five strategic priorities: simplifying rules, further integrating the Single Market by removing existing barriers, strengthening European trade policy, reducing energy prices while pursuing decarbonisation, and promoting the digital transformation. In addition, the institutions agree on closer political coordination and commit, while respecting their respective institutional prerogatives, to the swift implementation of the agreed measures.

Priority legislative initiatives

Beyond these overarching objectives, the roadmap defines 42 priority legislative initiatives and trade agreements across the five areas mentioned above that are considered particularly important for further Single Market integration. Concrete deadlines are set for all initiatives by which political agreements are to be reached. For example, a political agreement on the Digital Omnibus in the field of artificial intelligence is to be reached by June 2026, as is an agreement on the e-declaration for the posting of workers. A political agreement on the European Business Wallets is envisaged by the end of 2026, while the Fair Labour Mobility Package is to be agreed by the third quarter of 2027.

Social aspects in the roadmap

Social aspects overall play a rather limited role in the roadmap. During the negotiations, the European Parliament – in particular Members from the S&D Group and the Greens – therefore called for corresponding amendments. As a result, the final version now includes a provision stating that, in the context of the regular review of the roadmap, measures to strengthen the social dimension of the Single Market should also be considered. In addition, several social policy initiatives are included among the priority legislative initiatives, such as the Skills Portability Initiative, the Supplementary Pensions Package and the Fair Labour Mobility Package.

Background

The initiative is driven by geopolitical rivalries, technological transformation and economic uncertainty, which are to be addressed through a stronger and better integrated European Single Market. During the negotiations, however, the institutions placed different emphases and were willing to commit to different levels of ambition. The Council, for example, removed certain elements from the Commission’s original draft, in particular provisions aimed at preventing gold-plating in the national implementation of EU law and the stronger use of regulations instead of directives. The European Parliament also introduced amendments and, above all, secured stronger consideration of social aspects within the roadmap.