29 January 2026 23:00 UTC · European Commission · EU Commission Press Release · Source · Email X Link

European Commission adopts 2026 Single Market Report

Key points

Finds 6 indicators improved, 6 worsened, 15 unchanged
Targets late payments and green-transition service barriers; may use infringement proceedings

TL;DR

Report evaluates Single Market using 29 KPIs and introduces two new indicators (simplification with projected administrative savings of ~€15 billion; share of fully digital administrative procedures).
Six indicators improved, six worsened, 15 unchanged; improvements include recognition of professional qualifications, market surveillance, company use of AI/cloud/data, InvestEU industrial-transition investments, and renewable energy metrics; worsened indicators include intra-EU trade share of GDP, transposition-related infringements, standard drafting time, green-transition labour shortages, PISA scores, and private investment share of GDP.
Commission will target late payments and obstacles to green-transition services, using dialogue with Member States and infringement proceedings where necessary, and will publish explanations of enforcement objectives and results.
Report is complemented by the 2026 Single Market and Competitiveness Scoreboard and accompanying documents (Competitiveness Compass implementation overview, Clean Industrial Deal, Single Market Strategy, Annual Report of the Single Market Enforcement Task Force).

Original text

European Commission - Press release Commission annual report on Single Market and competitiveness calls for joint action in light of unprecedented challenges * Brussels, 30 January 2026 Today, the European Commission adopted the 2026 Annual Single Market and Competitiveness Report , the sixth in an annual series, evaluating the functioning of the Single Market and assessing the conditions for businesses to innovate, grow, and compete while delivering sustainable prosperity for European citizens. The report draws on 29 key performance indicators, covering areas such as market integration and barriers, electricity prices and investment trends, and identifies priority areas for action. The report shows that six indicators have decreased, six have improved, and 15 remain broadly unchanged. Two indicators are new. The indicators that have shown improvement between the last report and this one are the recognition of skills and qualifications needed for EU citizens to exercise their profession in other Member States; EU market surveillance, measured by product investigations carried out by market surveillance authorities; the share of companies in the EU using artificial intelligence, cloud computing and data analytics; the volume of InvestEU investments supporting the industrial transition has increased; the share of renewable energy generation with respect to total energy consumption; the annually-added capacity to generate renewable electricity. The indicators that have worsened are the share of EU GDP represented by trade between EU Member States; the share of transposed EU Single Market Directives for which infringement proceedings were launched; the average time needed to draft standards; labour shortages in occupations requiring specific skills for the green transition; the school performance of 15-year-olds measured by PISA scores; private investment, as a share of GDP. Some of the indicators that have stayed stable include labour productivity (measured in GDP per hour worked); ease of regulatory compliance (measured by business' surveys); private and public expenditure in research and development as a share of GDP; number of patent applications; venture capital investment as share of GDP; domestic clean tech manufacturing capacity. Also, as of this year, the Commission introduced a new indicator to track simplification efforts. This indicator shows that the projected administrative savings from the Commission's adopted omnibus and other simplification proposals amount to around €15 billion. There is an additional new indicator tracking the share of single market administrative procedures that are fully digital. The report further outlines the areas where in 2026 the Commission will target its efforts to remove barriers in the Single Market. These efforts will focus on tackling late payments and obstacles to key services related to the green transition. The Commission will address these and other barriers through dialogue with Member States and, where necessary, infringement proceedings. So that the benefits to citizens and businesses behind these enforcement actions are clearer, the Commission will publish clear explanations regarding the objectives pursued and the results achieved. Finally, the report is complemented by the 2026 edition of the Single Market and Competitiveness Scoreboard , which is available online. The documents accompanying the report include an overview of the implementation of the Competitiveness Compass, the Clean Industrial Deal, and the Single Market Strategy; and the Annual Report of the Single Market Enforcement Task Force . For more information 2026 Annual Single Market and Competitiveness Report Staff Working Document with annexes that accompanying the 2026 Annual Single Market and Competitiveness Report (KPIs; Implementation tables; Overview of resilience measures by selected global players) 2026 interactive online Single Market and Competitiveness Scoreboard : The Single Market and Competitiveness Scoreboard | Single Market and Competitiveness Scoreboard 2024-2025 Annual Report of the Single Market Enforcement Task Force * Updated on 30/01/2026 at 13:00 IP/26/252 Quote(s): "The Annual Single Market and Competitiveness Report confirms that the Single Market is not only our main source of prosperity, but also a central pillar of Europe’s power in today’s geopolitical context. We have already introduced a number of actions to address the challenges identified to unlock the Single Market’s full potential. Now, the EU and its Member States must act decisively to tackle the ‘Terrible Tens’ and implement the Single Market Strategy so that European citizens and companies can reap the benefits." Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy Press contacts: Siobhan MCGARRY (+32 2 29 64798) Rüya PERINCEK (+32 2 29 94903) General public inquiries: Europe Direct by phone 00 800 67 89 10 11 or by email

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