“I think today [we need to] stay focused on what is already in the pipeline. So don’t look for any silver bullets, we already have plans — just implement them,” Maciej Witucki, president of BusinessEurope, told Euronews.
“It’s important for businesses, but also it’s important to the citizens of Europe that they see the change.”
In this episode of The Big Question, BusinessEurope’s new president, Maciej Witucki, joined Angela Barnes to discuss the challenges ahead and the need for strong international partners.
What do European businesses need to thrive?
Having spent the past 20 years leading companies in Poland and working directly with BusinessEurope at the helm of Poland’s largest business confederation for the last six, Maciej isn’t new to this world, despite the new job title.
At the top of his to-do list is energy, the major problem plaguing Europe’s businesses.
Maciej explained that fraught geopolitics is speeding up the energy transition as Europe becomes more alert to the fact that we can no longer rely on oil and gas.
An expensive or unreliable supply works for no one.
“I think that we have been concentrating on the decarbonisation of the economy, which is important because nobody, after the heats of the last weeks, will claim that there is no global warming, so we have to save the planet.”
“At the same time, we will not save it if we have no industries, no revenues, no taxes to pay for it.”
Maciej Witucki, president of BusinessEurope joined Angela Barnes on The Big Question – Euronews
Second up on Maciej’s priorities is the single market. A concept since the 80s that the bloc has failed to fully complete.
“Only Europe as a whole can compete with the other superpowers in the world,” Maciej declared.
“This is the enormous unleashed potential of Europe.
“We somehow envy SpaceX for the super rockets. The real single market is a SpaceX of Europe, it’s a starship of Europe because if we really keep those barriers, we have billions of euros which are being lost, [the equivalent] of 50%,” he explained.
Trade barriers between countries or “defensive measures which have been built 20 years ago, 30 years ago for the services which are no more relevant in many cases,” Maciej added.
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Does Europe have the talent needed for success?
Despite some people suggesting Europe needs to do more to attract new talent and revitalise the bloc’s ecosystem, Maciej is very confident in the continent’s homegrown talent.