Europe must keep accelerating its roadmap to integrate the single market and create a European industrial strategy to avoid becoming subservient to global superpowers, former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta told Euronews’ flagship programme Europe Today.
“We don’t want to be a colony of the US, and we don’t want to be a colony of China, we want to be Europeans,” the former Italian prime minister said.
In 2024, Letta published a report on how to complete the single market, which inspired the EU’s roadmap on how to make Europe more competitive.
The report, titled “Much More Than a Market,” highlighted the need to integrate key sectors at European level, such as creating an energy union, integrating digital services and ending the fragmentation of capital markets.
In addition, Letta proposed a “fifth freedom” of research and innovation, with the aim of putting the knowledge economy at the top of the EU economic policy agenda.
Speaking to Euronews, Letta said that Europe finally seems to be catching up with the imperative to do something before being relegated, partly thanks to US President Donald Trump’s outlandish threats to seize the Danish territory of Greenland.
“There was an acceleration in the last three months,” he said. “The year 2025 was a year in which we were all shocked by the new Trump II era, the tariffs, wars, and the rest. Then Greenland happened. I think Greenland was a big wake-up call for all European countries and leaders.”
The European Commission recently launched the new strategy “One Europe, One Market”, under which it will prioritise legislative proposals that can boost European competitiveness on a global scale.
The strategy outlines 42 EU-level reforms to complete the single market, with specific deadlines for each proposal. Most of them could be concluded within two years.
Among the proposed reforms are the creation of a strong industrial strategy under the Industrial Accelerator Act, and the so-called 28th Regime, or “EU Inc”, a legislative proposal that would make it easier for businesses to open in Europe.
The EU aims to approve both legislative pillars by the end of the year.
“There are all fundamental aspects today to make Europeans aware that we have an opportunity to be more united and more autonomous,” Letta said.