EU liberal party ALDE’s manifesto targets ‘EPP-led’ Commission, vows single market revival

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE) seeks to “complete” the EU’s Single Market by boosting harmonisation and having the European Parliament scrutinise the implementation of legislation, according to a draft electoral manifesto seen by Euractiv.

In unveiled criticism of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, ALDE stresses the urgency to “put the single market (&#8230😉 back on the EU agenda after years of neglect under the EPP-led European Commission,” to boost the EU’s competitiveness and job creation.

“The internal market is still incomplete. We advocate for a frictionless single market that ensures an equal and competitive business environment at the EU level,” the draft, still under discussion and subject to change, reads.

By criticising the European Commission’s management, ALDE also casts doubt on the performance of the Commissioner in charge of the internal market, Frenchman Thierry Breton, a prominent liberal politician appointed by French President Emmanuel Macron.

“The von der Leyen Commission has created a lot of bureaucracy for small businesses,” a high-ranking ALDE source told Euractiv, while also stressing that the European Commission has failed to open the EU’s market as a majority of trade agreements are stuck, such as the EU-Mercosur with the Latin American bloc.

“The responsibility and leadership of the Commission comes from the President and there is where we have the issues,” the source stressed when asked about ALDE’s criticism of fellow liberal Breton’s management of the internal market.

Battle lines drawn for electoral campaign

With such a statement, ALDE sets the stage for a heated electoral campaign for the European elections in June where both the EPP and the liberals will place the need to cut ‘red tape’ and fight bureaucracy at the centre of their discourse.

On January 16, the liberals in the European Parliament also tried to undermine von der Leyen by tabling an amendment to a resolution calling for a motion of censure against the Commission were the executive to unfreeze more EU funds for Hungary, but it did not find enough support from other political groups.

To save Europe’s competitiveness at the global level, ALDE proposes to streamline the completion of the single market by boosting harmonisation and “cutting administrative burdens and red tape by following the simple principle of ‘one market, one rule.’”

“Advancing and modernising our single market is the only way to genuinely enhance Europe’s open strategic autonomy; through efficient regulation, increased economic integration and removal of all existing barriers for products, services and public procurement,” the draft reads.

To do so, the liberals argue the European Parliament should have an enhanced role in scrutinising the implementation of EU legislation to make sure “that the same rule, not 27 variations of it, apply across our internal market”.

At the same time, they propose the creation of a “digital reporting portal” managed by the European Commission “where companies can find relevant information on their different reporting obligations” to reduce the administrative burden on businesses.

On top of that, ALDE vouches to help small and medium-sized enterprises, instead of big national companies, to ensure the “structural competitiveness” of the single market.

The final version of the manifesto will be approved at their electoral congress on 20 March, after being submitted for consultation to ALDE’s national party members.

At the same time, Euractiv has learnt that all the liberal factions in the Renew Europe parliamentary group, ALDE, EDP, and other parties such as Macron’s Renaissance, will run on a common platform for the European elections which will be launched on 20 March.

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]