The European Commission’s Second Annual Report on the Single Market and Competitiveness responds to the European Council’s request from March 2023 to monitor the state of the single market and Europe’s competitiveness. It was published for the first time in February 2024.

The report builds on previous annual reports on the single market, as initially envisaged in the EU’s 2020 Industrial Strategy.

The European Council of June 2023 announced its plan to conduct the first annual assessment of progress in strengthening the Union’s competitiveness and enhancing productivity and growth at its March 2024 meeting.

The Single Market Scoreboard was first published in 1997 and was initially designed to assess Member States’ performance in implementing the single market acquis.

Over time, it was expanded to include the use of related governance tools. In 2024, it was updated to include new competitiveness indicators, in line with the communication on long-term competitiveness.

The next report is expected to be presented during next week, alongside the “Competitiveness Compass,” which aims to address the innovation gap, decarbonise, and enhance security.

This initiative is seen as the first major undertaking of the new Commission, expected to shape its future work.

Our team is at your disposal for further information.