A discussion paper prepared by the Trio Presidency for the High Level Group on Competitiveness and Growth, dated 24 July 2026, assesses progress in removing the ten most harmful Single Market barriers under the One Europe, One Market Roadmap. The paper warns that enforcement alone is insufficient and calls for active mobilization of political will to meet the roadmap's targets of decisive progress by 2026 and completion by end of 2027.
The document identifies the 'Terrible Ten' barriers, broken into 28 sub-barriers with heatmaps per Member State. Priority barriers include complicated business establishment (TT3), fragmented packaging/labelling/waste rules (TT6), and restrictive national services regulation (TT8), which are being tackled via the Single Market Enforcement Taskforce (SMET). The paper references the Commission's Communication on a Simpler, Clearer and Better Enforced EU Rulebook, which calls for stronger Single Market compliance and use of the European Semester to highlight barriers and gold-plating.
To accelerate barrier removal, the paper proposes enhanced national ownership through internal coordination mechanisms applying a 'Single Market lens' to domestic policies. It recommends leveraging SMET as a stronger decision-making and problem-resolution body with an ambitious agenda, and establishing high-level Single Market Sherpas as focal points for joint ownership and escalation of intractable issues. The High Level Group on Competitiveness and Growth would serve as a forum for sharing good practice and assessing implementation arrangements, while Council oversight would be ensured via regular touchpoints and a quarterly review mechanism as per the roadmap.
The paper notes that successful barrier removal requires complementing Commission enforcement with Council-level support for SMET and expert groups. National ownership and coordination can transform domestic perception of Single Market issues. Mandating SMET as a stronger decision-making body could accelerate resolution of persistent barriers. High-level Sherpas and the HLG can provide political momentum and accountability. However, the paper warns of a risk of falling short of 2027 targets if political will is not translated into coordinated practical action.
EU businesses, especially SMEs, would benefit from reduced compliance costs and easier cross-border operations if barriers are removed. National authorities face administrative burden in implementing coordination mechanisms and reporting. EU consumers could gain from greater choice and lower prices. The Commission and Council bodies would see enhanced enforcement roles, requiring sustained political commitment.