Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 12, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 12, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleThe EU aims to deepen its single market and accelerate the capital markets union by March, enhancing market integration and competitiveness.
ALDEN BIESEN, Belgium, Feb 12 (Reuters) - The European Commission will present in March a plan to deepen the European Union's single market of 450 million consumers and make it easier for companies to operate across the EU, the Commission's head Ursula von der Leyen said.
Speaking at a news conference after a meeting with EU leaders on how to mare the EU economy more competitive, von der Leyen also said the EU executive arm would push on with the long delayed capital markets union that would allow to invest more productively some 10 trillion euros of savings now languishing on bank accounts.
"We agreed that we want to be done with phase one of the Savings and Investment Union, that includes market integration, supervision and securitization by June," von der Leyen said.
If it is impossible to move forward quickly with all 27 EU countries at the same time, the EU would push on with the project in a smaller group, she said.
"If there is not sufficient progress by then, we will consider enhanced cooperation, that is that at least 9 Member States if they want to move forward faster," she said.
(Reporting by Phil Blenknsop and Julia Payne, writing by Jan Strupczewski)
The Capital Markets Union is an initiative by the European Union aimed at creating a single market for capital across member states, facilitating investment and improving access to finance.
The single market is an economic system that allows goods, services, capital, and people to move freely among EU member states, enhancing economic cooperation and competition.
Enhanced cooperation is a process that allows a group of EU countries to work together on specific issues, even if not all member states participate.
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