The European Parliament's ECON committee on 3 June 2026 held a structured dialogue with Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera on competition policy, a digital euro presentation by ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone, and a first exchange on the Market Integration and Supervision Package (MISP) and SFDR/PRIIPs revision. The session exposed divergent views on merger control, state aid, foreign subsidies, and sustainable finance rules.
Ribera defended the merger-guidelines review as transparent and forward-looking, not a permissive shift. Markus Ferber (EPP) urged recognition of pro-competitive consolidation benefits, while Eero Heinäluoma (S&D) warned that smaller member states could see internal competition weaken. René Repasi (S&D) argued China's strength came from internal competition, not size. On state aid, Ribera justified a temporary framework for the Middle East fossil-fuel crisis, but Fernando Navarrete Rojas (EPP) warned of permanent exceptions undermining the single market. On foreign subsidies, Dirk Gotink (EPP) urged a political response to Chinese non-cooperation; Ribera noted indirect evidence tools.
On MISP, Ferber backed centralized supervision for cross-border infrastructures but found ESMA governance reform timid, while Heinäluoma called for a strong ESMA with faster governance. Giovanni Crosetto (ECR) urged a gradual approach. On the digital euro, Cipollone framed cash and digital euro as a package to protect monetary sovereignty. Siegbert Frank Droese (ESN) questioned the need, but Cipollone stressed preserving freedom to use central-bank money online. Nikos Papandreou (S&D) highlighted low public awareness; Cipollone outlined communication plans.
On SFDR, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (Renew) backed simplification but rejected stretching categories to cover more entities. Luděk Niedermayer (EPP) identified the transitional category as unresolved. Marie Toussaint (Greens/EFA) defended fossil-fuel exclusions, while Denis Nesci (ECR) insisted natural gas and nuclear must count. Consensus emerged on capital-market fragmentation, simpler SFDR, transparent merger control, and preserving cash access. Next steps: MISP draft report on 2 July, SFDR amendment deadline and vote pending.