Katarina Barley, Vice‑President of the European Parliament, warned that further amendments to the EU supply‑chain directive could jeopardise the stability that businesses need. “De‑bureaucratisation is also about reliability” she told Politico, adding that, after long negotiations, a balance has now been struck. “Once a step is taken, companies can adjust to it. Then there’s no reason to keep pushing back and forth” she said.
Barley reaffirmed the directive’s goal: to ensure the European Union does not produce goods that involve child labour or the burning of rainforest. She argued that uniform EU rules are not an administrative burden; they can replace a patchwork of national regulations. “If one rule can apply across all 27 member states, it actually eliminates 27 separate national rules – that is de‑bureaucratisation in practice” she explained.
On Europe’s competitiveness, Barley was generally optimistic. With a population of 450 million and strong companies, she described the bloc as a significant economic force. “Institutions could also compete. They can probably only do better, and we need to prove that in these turbulent times” she said.
The parliamentarian also urged a faster pace toward strategic independence in supply chains and sovereignty. She sharply criticised stalled German‑French industrial projects such as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), calling their failure “a drama” caused by national egos. “We must overcome national self‑interest and truly cooperate” she declared, emphasizing the necessity of collaboration.
