Filenews 7 February 2026 - by Charalambos Zakos
The President of the Federation of Employers and Industrialists (OEB), George Pantelidis, participated, in his capacity as Vice-President of BusinessEurope, together with the President and the rest of the leadership of the powerful body of European business, in a working dinner with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
The focus of the discussion was on the strategy to strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of European businesses.
Speaking to "F", the president of OEB, Giorgos Pantelides, said that it is particularly important that OEB participates in the highest level of decision-making that affects all European businesses, as, as he noted, it is possible to integrate the needs and priorities of Cypriot businesses into them. He stressed that the challenges are particularly serious and require immediate actions.
At the working dinner, business representatives stressed that the success of the new European agenda will be judged by the speed and determination in the implementation of individual policies, warning that, without tangible results in 2026, the European economy risks losing further ground in an increasingly competitive global environment.
In particular, the need for an immediate transition from political announcements to tangible results for the European economy was put on the table, a position that, as it was pointed out, has been repeated over time by the European business world.
The concerns of entrepreneurs
Ursula von der Leyen was confronted with a series of problems facing European business.
BusinessEurope argues that the new institutional and geopolitical environment requires a clear change of course, as European businesses continue to face high energy costs, increased regulatory burden, fragmentation of the single market and intensifying international competition.
BusinessEurope focuses on five key policy axes that are considered critical for 2026.
Firstly, it calls for a substantial deepening of the single market and a drastic reduction in the regulatory burden, with the aim of removing obstacles to cross-border activities and enhancing competitiveness, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. Second, BusinessEurope insists on reducing energy prices and creating a sustainable business framework for decarbonisation, pointing out that the energy cost differential relative to key non-EU competitors remains a decisive disadvantage.
The third axis is the management of geopolitical risks and the assurance of access to markets and raw materials, with an emphasis on the diversification of trade relations and the balance between economic security and open trade. At the same time, European entrepreneurs underline the need to boost investment and innovation in order for Europe to regain technological leadership, calling for stronger mobilization of private capital and more efficient capital markets. Finally, particular emphasis is placed on employment and skills, with BusinessEurope calling for a shift in social policy towards more flexible, non-legislative solutions, which will strengthen productivity and social cohesion at the same time.
