“Unchain the Single Market”: what VDL’s Speech Can Teach Us

On April 1st, 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered a powerful address to the European Parliament, highlighting what she termed ‘the threats to global prosperity and stability, and the rise of protectionism.’ Her speech, divided in three points, came on the eve of new American tariffs set to be unveiled on April 2nd.

But first, she began by reminding how the Single Market came to be:

When the dream of a united Europe began, it started with a simple idea: Let us create one Single Market. Let us break barriers and take tariffs down. This is what made us strong. Because our companies grew. And so did the ties that bind us together.

In line with our article’s conclusions on the Single Market, von der Leyen emphasized its multifaceted strength: it unites Europeans, fosters shared prosperity, and equips the continent to counter economic threats. Following from this to her first point, she announced that “from trade to technology to the size of the market”, Europe possesses the tools to stand its ground, provided it demonstrates the willpower and tenacity required:

We would all be better off if we could find a constructive solution. At the same time, it also has to be clear: Europe has not started this confrontation. We do not necessarily want to retaliate, but we have a strong plan to retaliate if necessary.

This statement serves as a stern warning to the American administration, demonstrating her confidence in the Single Market’s ability to withstand pressure.

The second point focused on diversification. To counteract incoming U.S. tariffs, Europe will explore diversifying its partnerships, leveraging additional strengths such as reliability and predictability. This is signaling to the United States that Europe can absorb the impact of these tariffs and has alternative measures at its disposal beyond retaliatory actions:

We will open doors towards fast-growing markets across the world. Europe already has trade agreements in place with 76 countries. And we are now growing this network. We just concluded trade deals with Mercosur, Mexico and Switzerland. We launched the first-ever Clean Trade and Investment Partnership with South Africa. We aim to conclude a trade agreement with India by the end of the year. We are in intense negotiations with Indonesia and Thailand. And later this week, President Costa and I will head to Samarkand, for the first-ever summit between the European Union and Central Asia.

An extensive list here to further emphasize the global appeal of the Single Market.

However, her third point is particularly noteworthy. Von der Leyen proposed to ‘Unchain the Single Market:

The Single Market was born to tear down barriers between our countries. To erase customs and duties. And to make business easy inside Europe. We must go back to that idea and fulfill it.

She then outlined potential development areas:

• Enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to sell the same product across all Member States without the need to re-label it 27 times to comply with national laws.
• Facilitate cross-border work for professionals by reducing the barriers posed by differing national bureaucracies.
• Simplify the process for technology companies to launch new services across Europe by streamlining the 27 different procedural requirements.
• Make it easier for Europeans to invest within Europe, reducing the need to direct savings to other parts of the world.

In response to adversity, the European Union demonstrates resilience and growth, aligning with the concept of Autonomorphosis. This underscores the significance of von der Leyen’s third point. We will monitor its progress to see if it follows the direction outlined in this speech.