EU may offer aid to compete with US, China
To enhance European businesses’ competitiveness against the US and China, the Moderates propose a set of ten measures, including the establishment of a Competitiveness Fund financed by EU member states to support European industries. The party acknowledges the need for a discussion on state aid as a unified EU strategy, responding to the large subsidies granted to ‘green’ companies in the US. The Moderates emphasize that growth should make the EU collectively wealthier, rather than benefiting individual countries. Funding from the Competitiveness Fund would only be allocated when countries outside the EU distort free market conditions through subsidies. Additionally, the Moderates call for a 25% reduction in EU bureaucracy by 2030 to alleviate business burdens, and suggest introducing a European ID card to protect non-European workers from poor labor conditions.