SMET - Single Market Enforcement Taskforce

Rue Guimard 11/13 1040 Brüssel Tel: +32 2 227 39 10 [email protected] https://eu.mfa.ee/et/

Erkki Keldo Majandus- ja tööstusminister Majandus- ja Kommunikatsiooniministeerium

08.12.2025 nr 10.1-13/1187-1

Austatud minister Edastame Teile Euroopa Komisjoni volinik Stéphane Séjourné kirja, 5. Detsember 2025, nr Ares(2025 10759733. (SMET - Single Market Enforcement Taskforce) Lugupidamisega Kyllike Sillaste-Elling alaline esindaja Lisa: kiri 2 lk Raili Lillemets +32 2227 4375 [email protected]

Mr Erkki Keldo

Minister of Economy and Industry of Estonia

Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussels, Belgique/BELGÏE – Tel. +32 2299 11 11

Brussels, 4 November 2025

Dear Minister,

In the face of unprecedented challenges and a volatile geopolitical situation, the Single Market

is our best asset. It is a driver of competitiveness and growth and a shield of protection. Still,

both dimensions are yet underexploited. If we want a strong, independent and prosperous

Europe, we need to take a decisive commitment to complete the Single Market.

On 21 May 2025, responding to the call from the European Council, the Commission adopted

a Strategy for making the Single Market simple, seamless and strong. In the Strategy, the

Commission put forward a plan to double down on the “Terrible Ten”, the most impactful and

harmful barriers holding back intra-EU trade and investments. The Strategy also focussed on

unlocking the potential of the services sector, digitalising the Single Market, promoting SMEs

and strengthening enforcement. The Commission is delivering on this plan.

But unlocking the full potential of the Single Market is our joint responsibility. The actions at

EU-level need to be complemented with urgent and concrete actions by all Member States to

champion the Single Market and, not least, to address specific barriers at national level.

Therefore, I urge you to join forces on three parallel tracks:

First, I call for your support in removing the “Terrible Ten” Single Market barriers. I had

committed to organise a first High-Level SMET (Single Market Enforcement Taskforce)

meeting before the end of this year, to provide strategic steer and political support for the

implementation of jointly identified solutions to address barriers. I am grateful to the Danish

Presidency who share the commitment to this joint mission and who kindly accommodated for

the time and space of such first political SMET meeting in the context of the upcoming

COMPET, under the agenda point “Removal of internal market barriers”. My services have

started work on a heatmap of the Terrible Ten and engaged with your administration in

discussions on the method and on the situation of your country with regard to the specific

indicators identified. I would like us to discuss the barriers together one by one in the context

of the High-Level SMET over the next 2 years, in order to share best practices and joint

commitments with a view to improving the situation ahead of a publication of the heatmap.

./..

Secondly, we must also together ensure that we do not create new barriers. There is no point in

removing barriers if we constantly create news ones. From this perspective, I would like to

emphasise the importance of prior notifications of national legislative proposals under the

Single Market Transparency Directive. These notifications allow the Commission, Member

States and businesses to provide input on draft national measures that may, if adopted, adversely

affect the free movement of goods and services. In addition to fragmenting the Single Market,

laws that have not been notified risk being legally challenged. In this spirit, I call on your

national authorities to ensure the correct application of notification obligations. I would also

like to call upon all of us to avoid introducing new barriers and gold-plating in the context of

legislative negotiations at European level.

Thirdly, we have to complete the Single Market in those areas that President Jacques Delors

left untouched, such as energy and telecoms. President von der Leyen announced a Single

Roadmap in her State of the Union speech in September. Listing 6 sectors, she called on us all

to jointly complete the Single Market by 2028. The Commission will shortly put forward a

proposal to that effect.

Finally, the Single Market is not only about barriers, but also about opportunities. Therefore, to

mark the political priority of the Single Market and to support the joint effort in leveraging its

potential, I reiterate the invitation to each Member State to name a high-level Single Market

Sherpa. It is crucial to co-create a new political culture, one that thinks “Single Market first” on

every level. In this sense, the Sherpas should have a mandate for comprehensive strategic

oversight in the respective Member State and should be attached to the Prime Minister’s or

President’s office. The Single Market Sherpa should promote the application of Single Market

rules, in order to strengthen the opportunities it offers and to help prevent national regulatory

and administrative barriers from arising in the first place. I therefore invite you to share a name

to the email address [email protected] by end-December 2025 with

a view to invitations for a first meeting to be sent very early in 2026.

Building on a shared sense of urgency, I look forward to continuing working with you to jointly

mark a turning point in the integration of the Single Market.

Yours faithfully,

Stéphane Séjourné

Electronically signed on 05/12/2025 13:06 (UTC+01) in accordance with Article 11 of Commission Decision (EU) 2021/2121