Senior business leaders gathered in Antwerp, Belgium to convey a clear message on the state of Europe’s industrial base and the urgent need to restore the continent’s competitiveness. The discussions underscored that the drivers of declining competitiveness are well understood and that decisive action is now required, notably through a systemic reduction of administrative burden, completion of the Single Market and measures to ensure lower energy prices.  

Taking place on Thursday, 11 February, the forum brought together political leaders including Bart De Wever, Prime Minister, Belgium; Emmanuel Macron, President, France; Friedrich Merz, Chancellor, Germany and Ursula von der Leyen, President, European Commission. 

Malte Lohan, CEO and Job Boonstra, Senior Policy Adviser, AmCham EU joined the exchange alongside senior executives from across sectors, reinforcing industry’s call for coordinated policy action to enhance Europe’s competitiveness and investment environment.