The promised revitalization of the European Union’s economic competitiveness, spurred by the Draghi Report, appears to be languishing, with critics alleging a pattern of bureaucratic inertia and a failure to translate policy recommendations into tangible action. The report, commissioned nearly a year ago by former European Central Bank President and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, outlined a strategy for investment and deregulation aimed at bolstering the EU’s global economic standing. However, a “Draghi-Tracker” produced by the private initiative Joint European Disruptive Initiative (JEDI) reveals a stark reality: the European Commission, led by President Ursula von der Leyen, has yet to fully implement a single idea from the document.
While 15% of the Draghi Report’s proposals are reportedly progressing, a significant 40% are making little headway and a disheartening 45% are not even under discussion. This failure to act echoes a similar fate suffered by a previous report authored by former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta, which analyzed the state of the EU’s single market and has since largely faded from Brussels’ agenda.
Industry representatives are voicing increasing frustration. Hildegard Müller, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, lamented that the Draghi Report has been “taken note of and more or less filed away” criticizing the EU’s inclination to produce reports and roadmaps without implementing structured work to improve European competitiveness.
The criticism extends to political circles, with Free Democratic Party (FDP) MEP Svenja Hahn accusing President von der Leyen of allowing the Draghi Report to “gather dust in her speeches”. Hahn argues that the EU is “stuck in bureaucratic gridlock” prioritizing new regulations and centralized planning over deregulation and market liberalization. Despite promises of simplification, initiatives like the Supply Chain Act are reportedly stalled, threatening to become symbols of Europe’s inability to reform.
Astrid Hamker, President of the CDU’s Economic Council, a business-affiliated association closely linked to the ruling Christian Democratic Union, expressed a broader sense of disappointment, noting that Draghi and Letta are frequently mentioned in discussions but rarely translate into concrete action. The continuing failure to implement recommendations from esteemed leaders raises serious questions about the EU’s capacity for meaningful reform and its ability to respond to the challenges of a rapidly evolving global economic landscape.