Single Market Summit 2026

Europe does not lack savings. It lacks an integrated market that channels those savings into productive investment. Fragmented capital markets limit scale, raise costs and drive innovative firms abroad. Completing the Savings and investments union is essential to increasing the supply of long-term investment and strengthening Europe’s competitiveness. 

The benefits are clear: deeper pools of capital, better risk-sharing, stronger support for strategic sectors and greater resilience in times of crisis. But roadblocks persist – regulatory fragmentation, uneven supervision, insolvency differences and limited retail participation. If Europe’s structural problem is underinvestment and a weak business case environment, how do we fix it? 

• What are the three most urgent fixes to create momentum towards a truly integrated EU capital market? 
• How can we align supervision and insolvency frameworks without reopening endless institutional battles? 
• What would success by 2028 look like for scale-ups, pension savers and institutional investors? 
• How do we make the Savings and investments union tangible for citizens, in jobs, pensions and innovation at home? 

For many companies, expanding across Europe still means navigating 27 legal systems, tax regimes and administrative cultures. A 28th regime – one common legal and tax framework for doing business across the EU – could simplify scaling and strengthen Europe’s attractiveness. 

How do we design a regime that is optional, business-friendly and politically realistic – while delivering real simplification rather than cosmetic harmonisation? The potential rewards are substantial: lower compliance costs, faster cross-border growth and a stronger internal market for innovation. But political sensitivities around national competences, taxation and corporate law remain major roadblocks. 

• What concrete features must a 28th regime include to make a real difference for start-ups and scale-ups? What should be the minimum passporting criteria? 
• How can mutual legal recognition and EU-wide tax incentives be structured to respect national prerogatives while enabling scale? 
• What sectors could pilot the approach first? 
• How can we ensure that simplification reduces the cost of doing business and aligns with investment cycles? 

Europe recognises its competitiveness challenge, yet too often remains stuck in bureaucratic delivery mode. Siloed thinking separates capital, energy and digital policies, even though they are interconnected system enablers. Strategic decisions are fragmented across regulators, while the gap between public budgeting logic and private return-on-capital considerations persists. 

If Europe’s core problem is not ambition but delivery, governance must change. Faster decision-making, clearer political ownership and risk-based regulation are essential to improve the investment climate. 

• How can decision-making be accelerated without undermining democratic legitimacy? Is enhanced cooperation part of the solution? 
• Should strategic sectors be decided at a higher political level to overcome fragmentation? 
• How can regulatory design better reflect investment cycles and high-capex realities, particularly in digital and infrastructure? 
• What would a risk-based sovereignty model look like in practice – one that strengthens Europe without discouraging capital?