Ministers Bettel & Delles at EU Council Praise Cooperation and Urge Unity

On Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 2025, Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, and the Minister of Economy, SME, Energy and Tourism, Lex Delles, participated in the informal meeting of the Competitiveness Council and the Foreign Affairs Council (Trade), held in Warsaw, Poland, under the Polish Presidency of the European Union (EU).

As reported by Luxembourg’s Ministry of the Economy and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Cooperation and Foreign Trade, in the context of geopolitical and geo-economic uncertainties, the coherence between the EU’s industrial and trade strategy is being tested. 

In this context, the ministers of the 27 EU Member States responsible for industry and the internal market, as well as those responsible for trade policy, met to address the issues of European competitiveness and the protection of the European industrial ecosystem. The discussions were guided by the European Commission’s Communication on the Competitiveness Compass, published on 29 January 2025, which serves as the Commission’s work programme in the economic field.

In his speech, Minister Bettel welcomed the organisation of this joint meeting, which allows for better alignment of the EU’s industrial and trade policies. He returned to the role of the EU vis-à-vis the United States and China, stating that it remains essential for the EU and its Member States to preserve their unity and speak with one voice. 

Regarding the EU’s industrial and environmental policy, Minister Bettel insisted that it is not in our interest to backtrack, but rather to make the right decisions so that these two policies work together. Finally, Minister Bettel returned to the steel sector, stressing that it must be strengthened to become more resilient, competitive and regain its productivity.

For Minister Delles, it was particularly important to reaffirm the need to guarantee the free movement of products and services within the Internal Market. He recalled the urgency of the subject, stating: “The complex geopolitical situation requires coherent and united action by the European Union, fully exploiting the strength of the Internal Market. Free movement within the Internal Market guarantees not only the stable and reliable supply of our companies but also our independence from external pressures”.

Minister Delles highlighted the urgency of acting in a coherent and united manner in the face of initiatives such as the proposal for a US law to restrict the export of microchips needed to train artificial intelligence (the “Framework for AI Diffusion”). 

Minister Delles also stressed the need for a substantial simplification of European regulations, while continuing to pursue agreed policy objectives in a more efficient, considered and less costly manner, commenting: “Sometimes you need to take the time and the necessary perspective to allow yourself to move forward.”.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Ministers Bettel and Delles had a bilateral meeting with Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy of the European Commission.

SM