Brussels, 19 March 2026 – AIM supports the European Council’s renewed focus on strengthening the Single Market. For Europe’s third largest manufacturing industry, a more competitive and well-functioning market remains essential to support growth and investment.
AIM welcomes the emphasis on enhancing consumer protection and the enforcement of EU standards, including stronger safeguards for placing products on the market and improved surveillance of non-compliant products from third countries.
With counterfeit goods representing up to 4.7% of EU imports, robust enforcement of intellectual property rights remains essential to protect consumers and ensure fair competition. This is an important step towards ensuring a level playing field across the EU.
Addressing fragmented labelling and packaging requirements, including through digital solutions, is a positive step towards facilitating the free movement of goods. These are key challenges for innovative manufacturers to be able to supply across borders.
It is important that the discussion in the context of territorial supply-constraints remains evidence-based. In practice, many barriers to cross-border trade stem from divergent national requirements rather than from manufacturers’ supply management operations.
Continued efforts to simplify the regulatory framework will also be key to reducing unnecessary complexity and enabling companies to operate more efficiently across borders.
Further harmonisation of rules, including in areas such as labelling, together with the use of digital solutions, can help reduce fragmentation and support a more integrated Single Market.
