“Europe must rely on Europe to drive growth” – this is a key point for Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis who presented the Economic Forecast for up to 2027 in Brussels today. However, as the commissioner himself pointed out, uncertainty about global scenarios means that there can be no certainty for the medium term. The commissioner started with four considerations: “The EU’s economy has beaten expectations” and “we expect growth to continue at a moderate pace”. On inflation: a “return to stable prices” with inflation at around 2% “is good news”. On public finances, the situation “has improved significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic”, but “we expect less-positive developments in the coming years”, particularly in certain Member States. The fourth and perhaps most significant factor is “uncertainty”. There is “significant uncertainty”, Dombrovskis said, and this “will remain a defining feature of the coming years”. This “means that we should look to domestic drivers to fuel growth” in the EU. Which also means “redoubling our efforts to enhance our competitiveness”. In this regard, the commissioner focused on the need to strengthen the Single Market, listing the risks and opportunities. Risks include the “trade policy” and “the impact of the current tariffs”; a possible “escalation of geopolitical tensions”; and domestic “political uncertainty”. Whilst opportunities include a chance to “guide reforms in our ‘Competitiveness Compass’; continuing to implement” the simplification of internal procedures; boosting innovation; and diversifying our energy sources.