The policy of Belgium within the EU

In this section you learn more about the policy of Belgium within the European Union.

Internal market and industry

The internal market is based on the four main freedoms (goods / people / services / capital). All the necessary measures are taken to facilitate day-to-day life and create more opportunities for the consumers, businesses and public authorities that invest, purchase and sell goods and services within the internal European market. With the new European legislature, the search for sustainable growth via the transition to a carbon-neutral economy requires a broader and more integrated vision of the internal market, which is more in line with industrial and trade policies.
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Summary


The internal market is based on the four main freedoms (goods / people / services / capital), whereby all the necessary measures are taken to facilitate day-to-day life and create more opportunities for the consumers, businesses and public authorities that invest, purchase and sell goods and services within the internal European market.

With the new European legislature, the search for sustainable growth via the transition to a carbon-neutral economy requires a broader and more integrated vision of the internal market, which is more in line with industrial and trade policies.

The 30th anniversary of the single market in 2023 is a reminder that the internal market is still a work in progress, as evidenced by its imperfect integration in the market for services on account of persistent barriers, with some Commission proposals stepping on the toes of Member States when it comes to putting their own regulations in place.


Objectives for Belgium


The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and the Russian attack on Ukraine have demonstrated that, over and above the reflexes of certain Member States (border controls or bans on the export of critical goods, etc.), progress in the proper functioning of the internal market has remained very fragile, and that the Commission should ideally play an active role as guardian of the Treaty in monitoring and enforcing the existing instruments, in order to avoid further shortcomings in the future, thereby safeguarding the very foundations of the internal market. The EU's recovery, resilience and open strategic autonomy must therefore be harnessed to make the internal market more resilient to possible future crises, both in terms of health and other areas (e.g. cyber security).

Indeed, it is essential for Belgium that free movement and free access to goods and services be guaranteed through a barrier-free internal market. To this end, Belgium continues to prioritise harmonising rules, which should be maximised as they are easier to implement. Similarly, the quality of the legislation must be guaranteed, by being flexible and free of administrative burdens, and not losing sight of the importance of promoting the internal market in terms of visibility to the public (the famous "acquis communautaire"). For this reason, Belgium calls for a renewed deepening of the internal market, as the driver for growth and employment, including a gradual economic, fiscal and social convergence (the fight against social dumping). It is essential to work towards merging the internal market with the digital market, with the advent of a data economy and the green transition.

The Commission's European industrial strategy offers an initial response to Belgium's long-standing call for such a European framework in this area and for strengthening EU competitiveness at the global level, in particular through integration and diversification in European and global value chains. In this context, the concept of strategic autonomy is gaining ground in the European debate, and will be further developed. It must not, under any circumstances, lead to any form of protectionism.

The various priority themes for Belgium include: a better integrated services market and the growth of SMEs/start-ups, the digital economy (data), the emergence of new technologies (artificial intelligence, etc.). Belgium closely monitors the following topics related to the digital and green agendas: the circular economy, the rise of e-commerce and electronic platforms, the Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI), etc.

The various thematic priorities for Belgium include: a better integrated services market, the growth of SMEs/start-ups, the digital economy (data) and the emergence of new technologies (artificial intelligence, etc.). Belgium also closely monitors the following topics related to the internal market, industry, and the digital and green agendas: the future of the single market, economic security, the EU's regulation of the green industry, the European Critical Raw Materials Act, the creation of a Strategic Technologies for Europe platform (STEP), the Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI), and circular economy.