European Council President António Costa and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen say that the informal EU summit in Belgium has laid a solid foundation for the next formal summit in March.
“Today we have especially paved the way for an agreement on concrete measures in the European Council in March” Costa said Thursday evening after the meeting at Schloss Alden Biesen. The leaders agreed unanimously to continue advancing the simplification agenda, which was outlined in a recent letter directed to heads of state and government.
Costa added that the EU will move from an “incomplete single market” to “a market for a Europe” stressing that this transition is urgent and must be achieved in 2026 and 2027. The outcomes of today’s discussion will be translated into “specific commitments and timelines” for the March European Council, after which the focus will shift to implementation.
Von der Leyen announced that at the March European Council she will present a detailed road map for the EU single market, showing precisely what will be done and including a clear deadline for rollout. She emphasized that the objective is for the document to be approved and adopted not only by the Commission but also by the two co-legislators-the European Council and the European Parliament.