By Alejandro Tauber,

 

BRUSSELS, 15 Sept. - (ANA) - EUobserver’s first Stakeholder Report bring together people working on European policy to examine the choices facing the EU and what they mean for citizens. Through interviews and analysis, we explore competing perspectives, practical priorities and questions that deserve a wider debate.

 

Economic Competitiveness and European Citizens, published ahead of Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address on 16 September, asks a question that should inform both the speech and the political year ahead: how can Europe’s economic ambitions translate into better lives for Europeans?

 

Authored by EUobserver’s European affairs director Dan Luca, the report draws on 11 experts from economic policy, academia, business and public affairs, each responding to the same 12 questions. 

 

The report examines how Europe can strengthen its single market, mobilise investment and build on its industrial strengths – while sustaining its social model. It also explores the role of skills and migration, the opportunities and challenges of enlargement, and whether national and European institutions have the capacity to turn decisions into results.

 

The contributors disagree on important questions, including how much power and funding the EU needs and whose interests shape the debate. But their answers all question a central issue: whether competitiveness produces improvements people can recognise, from affordable energy and quality jobs to reliable infrastructure and stronger public services

 

As von der Leyen sets out her priorities, the report offers a framework for judging what follows: concrete projects, credible financing and visible benefits.

 

To download the report, visit: https://static.euobserver.com/2026/09/Economic-competitiveness-and-European-citizens.pdf

 

AB/ANA/15 September 2026 - -