EU leaders adopted conclusions on competitiveness at the European Council summit on October 15-16, 2026. They took note of the recent Council position on the food and feed safety simplification package and invited the co-legislators to conclude negotiations on it, along with other priority files, by the end of the year.
The European Council also stressed the urgency of deepening the Single Market by removing remaining barriers, including fragmented labeling and packaging requirements and territorial supply constraints. It called on the Commission to propose further measures to reduce administrative and regulatory burdens, including a proposal to cut reporting obligations, particularly for SMEs. Leaders also welcomed the Commission’s intention to extend the temporary state aid framework for the most exposed sectors.