Merz’s pledges regarding the single market are mostly just headlines — Difficult postings: Hurdles to working in other EU countries remain too high.

“Clear the way for posting workers across Europe? Far from it! Hurdles for employers remain high.

 

Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) emphasizes at every EU summit just how important the single market is for the economy. What’s more, he claims to be the driving force behind ‘One Europe, One Market’—the roadmap intended to boost the EU’s competitiveness.

 

So much for the headlines. When it comes down to the details, however, the German government shifts from driving force to naysayer. National sensitivities take precedence over lofty European goals. The single market train is hitting the brakes. Worst of all, this is happening at the very first opportunity.

 

The compromise recently reached by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers regarding the posting of workers within the single market illustrates this starkly. The Commission’s idea for a digital form to register workers in the host country was a good one. Currently, employers have to grapple with 27 different national forms and 300 reporting requirements. In the future, there was supposed to be just one form requiring 30 data points.

 

The fatal flaw is the voluntary nature of the system

 

This move would have allowed the EU to eliminate one of the single market’s biggest obstacles. Europeans would have demonstrated that they were serious about the single market this time around. Instead of embracing the initiative with enthusiasm—and perhaps even further reducing the required data points—EU member states did the exact opposite. With active assistance from Berlin, they ramped the list of reporting requirements up to 41. That may be an improvement over 300, but it is still not enough.

 

The central flaw lies elsewhere: it remains entirely up to the individual states whether or not to use the digital form.” They can also stick with the existing national forms. Consequently, the extent to which employers will actually be relieved of the burden remains completely open. A degree of skepticism is warranted. After all, why should the main obstacles in the negotiations—France, Spain, and Italy—suddenly open up their markets and make it easier for competitors to enter?

 

Merz can then use the next EU summit in October to remind the other leaders of their commitment to the single market and urge them to take action. However, if he wants to appear credible, he needs to back up his words with deeds next time—when it comes down to the specifics.”