What are IT&Telecom companies doing in Brussels?

At the end of last week, I participated in a two-day trip to Brussels with selected members of Almega's management team to highlight the importance and positions of service companies. We met with Swedish parliamentarians, Swedish Commission officials, Swedish Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, as well as representatives from the current Estonian and upcoming Bulgarian presidencies. As always, the capital of Europe is an inspiration, and especially so in these times when the fundamental balance of European cooperation is facing change. Personally, I took home three main overall reflections.

My first reflection is that the 27 European countries now negotiating with the British on Brexit are doing so in unison. The Europe that was previously rumored to be fragmented now appears more united, both externally and in internal decision-making, where the EU has recently been able to reach decisions at an astonishing speed. Whether this points to a continued united Europe forced by Paris and Berlin, or a less united Europe moving forward at different speeds, is still unclear, but many express hope for European cooperation.

My second reflection concerns free trade. The European Commission seems to be in favor of a series of new free trade agreements, with the expressed ambition to create a circle of like-minded free trade friends around a frozen TTIP. At the same time, the EU is facing more headwinds than before in this area; today, free trade needs to be defended. The single market is now more focused on protection and social rights than on breaking down barriers to trade, and the value of data flows that are central to this future of trade is not seen in the same way by all countries. However, this is a difficult area to embrace and it is clear that without a strong London on the frontline, the friends of free trade and data flows need to become much more vocal in order to make progress. I was also given a clear mandate to highlight practical examples of the consequences of obstructed and impeded data flows for Swedish companies.

Finally, we noted that the Social Pillar was touched upon in all our meetings in Brussels. The proposed Pillar of Social Rights that EU Heads of State will consider in Gothenburg this week includes opportunities and access to the labor market, working conditions, social protection and social inclusion. The Commission sees the pillar as a way to address social challenges in parts of Europe hit hard by economic crises. The idea is good, but the question is whether the pillar is a Pandora's box as far as we are concerned, with the risk of comprehensive regulation in areas that have so far been handled within the Swedish model, i.e. in agreement between the social partners?

So there are a lot of question marks at EU level, but one thing that is absolutely clear to me is that all of the issues that are relevant to IT&Telecom member companies are in one way or another linked to, and originate in, Brussels. Equally clearly, it means that we inevitably need to put more resources into having our ears and noses closer to the Belgian mire in which so many decisions affecting our industry are taken. How we deliver on that ambition operationally, and what the rest of our 2018 business plan will look like, is something we are working on at the moment. I look forward to getting back to you on that - and as always, I invite you to get in touch with me directly with your thoughts on what we do and can do together!