Representatives from across the European retail spectrum were present in Brussels last night for a special dinner to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of EuroCommerce, the group that represents the European retail and wholesale sectors.
This year, 2018, also marks the 25th anniversary of the European Single Market, and with this in mind, Ann Mettler, head of the European Political Strategy Centre, the in-house think tank of the European Commission, gave a keynote address at the dinner, calling on those present to be aware of the importance of the forthcoming European Parliament elections in terms of keeping the region on track.
"Yes, Europe is not perfect, but there's a lot at stake in the European Parliament elections," she explained. "We need to be sure that we remain part of the moderate centre that can have a conversation about Europe in a respectful way and also in a fact-based way."
Régis Degelcke, president of EuroCommerce and Christian Verschueren, EuroCommerce director-general also addressed the dinner, which was held at the Hotel Le Plaza in the centre of the Belgian capital.
Celebrating Retail & Wholesale
Following on from this the 'Celebrating Retail & Wholesale' conference, also hosted by EuroCommerce, took place today (27 November) at the Thon Hotel EU in Brussels, highlighting success stories in retail and wholesale and examining how the market is changing to meet the needs of shoppers.
EU Commissioners Elżbieta Bieńkowska and Vĕra Jourová participated in the conference, speaking about digital transformation, changing consumer behaviour and how to make the Single Market work better for businesses and consumers.
“We need to realise the full potential of the retail sector, especially now that it is undergoing a rapid digital transformation," said Bieńkowska, Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs.
"The best practices set out in our Retail Communication should help Member States carry out reforms to improve the productivity and competitiveness of the retail sector and provide for a level playing field between on-line and off-line retail. We will do a follow up on the Retail Communication through discussions with Member States, a further development and updates of the Retail Restrictiveness Indicator and a fact-finding on Territorial Supply Constraints.”
Elsewhere, Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, said that she was looking for individuals and businesses to benefit from the growth in digital services.
"In the area of commerce, I see many positive opportunities for consumers in the future," she said.
"However, this will work only if we cooperate - regulators, enforcers and organisations like EuroCommerce - to avoid misleading practices and breaches of consumer protection laws.”
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
