Europe Now Needs a Genuine Labour Market Omnibus

Employers’ President Dr Rainer Dulger on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union Address:

Europe Now Needs a Genuine Labour Market Omnibus

Berlin, 16 September 2026. “The EU holds all the aces and must now play them. Innovative businesses, highly skilled employees and the world’s largest single market could put Europe at the forefront. Yet all too often, the EU holds itself back with ever more rules.

The State of the Union Address has shown that the Commission has once again missed an opportunity to provide tangible relief. Unfortunately, Mrs von der Leyen appears to have forgotten competitiveness and removed it from her vocabulary altogether. In fact, competitiveness is not mentioned even once in her speech.

Europe now needs a genuine labour market omnibus package that simplifies existing rules and provides concrete relief for businesses. So far, the EU has fallen short of its promises to reduce burdens. At the same time, it continues to adopt legislation that places additional strain on businesses and employees and makes growth more difficult.

Good jobs are created where companies are able to invest and grow. That is precisely why Europe needs less bureaucracy and a stronger single market, with a clear focus on competitiveness. Burden reduction must not stop short of social and labour market policy. It is in these areas in particular that businesses face a constant stream of new requirements, as well as documentation and reporting obligations.

Future EU legislation must be judged against a clear benchmark: it must strengthen competitiveness, provide legal certainty and deliver tangible relief for businesses.”