Stéphane Séjourné, entrusted with the job of regaining Europe's industrial competitive edge

The Renew Europe group welcomes the European Parliament’s approval of Stéphane Séjourné (France) as Commission´s Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, an outstanding responsibility to pave the way for our industries and companies to become more competitive and to strengthen Europe’s sovereignty in the cutting-edge sectors and technologies that shape the global economy, with the subsequent impact on the creation of good quality jobs on European soil.

During the hearing held some days ago, Commissioner-designate Séjourné clearly demonstrated his commitment to put in place the conditions to enhance the recovery and growth of European industry and accelerate its decarbonisation, without compromising its competitiveness, as well as contributing to developing fair trade and circular economy tools. In addition, he announced his willingness to address the existing investment gap through strong public-private financing and dynamic capital markets without giving up on fiscal and budgetary stability.

In a business environment where the biggest complaint and demand is to ease the administrative burden, Mr. Séjourné also showed his determination to address the long overdue red tape reduction and the simplification of reporting obligations as a key priority of his mission, as well as modernising and simplifying the single market for services.

MEP Christophe GRUDLER, (Mouvement Démocrate, France), Renew Europe’s ITRE coordinator, stated:

“We must fight to preserve our industries in Europe by building on a genuine European industrial vision. I am confident that Stéphane Séjourné will be fully committed to this approach. His hearing demonstrated his grasp of the issues and his determination to act for Europeans”.

MEP Sandro GOZI (L’Europe Ensemble, France), member of the Renew Europe´s Presidency and IMCO deputy coordinator, highlighted:

“During the hearing, Stéphane Séjourné demonstrated high level of competence, cooperative approach and strong commitment to strengthen and modernise the internal market, to work towards business environment conducive to investments, to review public procurement rules, to protect European companies from unfair competition and European consumers from dangerous and non-compliant products. He committed to work together towards deepening the internal market in order to strengthen Europe's resilience and strategic autonomy”.

MEP Pascal CANFIN (Renaissance, France), Renew Europe ENVI coordinator said after the hearing:

"Stéphane demonstrated that the fight against the climate crisis and the fight for the competitiveness and sovereignty of our industry go hand in hand. He also made the point that solidifying our single market is key to ensure a fair competition with the rest of the world and the sound deployment of our industry”.

MEP Stéphanie YON-COURTIN (L’Europe Ensemble, France), Renew Europe´s Coordinator on Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON), stated:

“He'll be like an orchestra conductor, making sure there are no false notes despite the cacophony of fragmented portfolios. A job similar to a group leader he has already successfully achieved.”