The European Union suffers from no shortage of strategy. Reports from Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta have already mapped out the necessary reforms for competitiveness and the single market. However, von der Leyen’s proposed pact to stop 'gold-plating' national requirements—a practice that has plagued Brussels for decades—highlights the lack of genuine enforcement mechanisms. Without concrete incentives or consequences, such pacts remain mere political theater.
In section EU
Closing Europe’s delivery gap
Ursula von der Leyen’s recent State of the Union address offered a diagnostic masterclass on Europe’s vulnerabilities, from energy costs to dependency on China. Yet, the speech glossed over a persistent, structural failure: the chasm between ambitious legislative announcements and the actual, on-the-ground implementation of policy across the bloc.
Closing this gap requires shifting from an announcement-driven cycle to a mission-focused model. Policy must be designed with implementation as a primary constraint rather than an afterthought. This means stress-testing proposals with local authorities and businesses before they are finalized, prioritizing mutual recognition over rigid new regulations, and embracing experimental frameworks like a 28th regime for startups. When consensus among all 27 member states stalls, the EU must be prepared to allow smaller groups of willing nations to move forward with joint financing and strategic integration. Europe knows what must be done; its survival now hinges on the capacity to execute.
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