EuroCommerce, which represents the retail and wholesale sector in Europe, has welcomed the re-election of Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission president, following her victory in the European Parliament ballot.
In a joint statement, EuroCommerce president Juan Manuel Morales and director general Christel Delberghe, wished von der Leyen "every success in building a stronger, more resilient Union, between now and 2030", saying that the organisation pledges to "work together to co-create the conditions for a more competitive, empowered, sustainable, innovative and skilled EU".
EuroCommerce represents an industry that is the largest private-sector employer in Europe, employing 26 million people, generating 10% of GDP and representing 5 million businesses, more than 99% of whom are SMEs.
EU Single Market
In their joint statement, Morales and Delberghe called on von der Leyen to ensure the vitality of the Single Market, which they described as "one of the EU’s greatest assets and is the bedrock for our future competitiveness".
As they put it, "We therefore call upon President von der Leyen to ensure that the recommendations from Enrico Letta’s report [on the future of the Single Market] and those from the forthcoming report on competitiveness by Mario Draghi, are converted into concrete, implementable actions and supportive, practicable policy."
Sustainable, Digital and Skills Transformation
Elsewhere, EuroCommerce said that its ongoing focus on delivering sustainable, digital and skills transformation is "making a key contribution" to the EU’s transition goals.
"In partnership with our employees, customers and consumers we are investing and developing increasingly sustainable business models, year-on-year," Morales and Delberghe added. "We will continue delivering on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, while adapting, constantly, responding to the changing needs and demands of our customers.
"We look forward to working together in partnership with the President and her college of Commissioners to foster innovation and investment and to build a stronger more resilient continent that provides affordable, safe, healthy and sustainable products and services for all."
FoodDrinkEurope
Elsewhere, FoodDrinkEurope, which represents Europe's food and drink industries, also offered its congratulations to von der Leyen on her re-election as Commission President.
'As Europe's largest manufacturing industry, the EU food and drink sector looks forward to working with you for a more resilient and sustainable agrifood chain,' the group said on Twitter.
