EPICENTER

In BrusselsMorning.com, Marek Tatala, CEO of the Economic Freedom Foundation and part of the Epicenter network, argued that Ireland’s EU Council Presidency motto “Strength with unity” is insufficient without sustainable economic growth. Tatala stressed that competitiveness underpins prosperity, security and democratic values, calling for urgent implementation of the Draghi and Letta recommendations, a completed Single Market, a regulatory brake, and a competitiveness test for every new EU proposal. The article endorses Epicenter’s Alternative EU Budget, which prioritises genuine European public goods over a simply larger budget and rejects additional own resources that would raise taxes on citizens and businesses.

In G4Media.ro, Petar Ganev from the Institute for Market Economics (IME), as part of the Epicenter network, argued that the debate on competitiveness extends far beyond the size of the EU budget. Speaking at the Green Transition Forum 2026 on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028–2034, Ganev noted that while Bulgaria supports stronger cohesion funding as a net beneficiary, a larger EU budget risks new own resources that could harm national competitiveness. He stressed that Europe’s competitiveness depends primarily on the effective functioning of the Single Market, reducing bureaucracy and excessive regulation, and facilitating the fundamental freedoms of the internal market, rather than simply increasing the overall budget.

In BrusselsMorning.com, Adam Bartha, Director of EPICENTER, criticised proposals for a tax on ultra-processed foods as Brussels intensifies its debate on diet, public health and fiscal policy. Bartha argued that “sin taxes never made anyone healthier or richer,” warning that such levies would punish the poorest and primarily serve to fill a fiscal gap created by the Commission’s push for a larger EU budget. Drawing on EPICENTER’s competitiveness analysis, he stressed that improved health outcomes depend on increased prosperity through faster economic growth and a more responsible EU budget rather than new punitive taxes.

In Interez.sk, the Slovak retail chain Billa reported a loss of nearly €8 million in 2025 despite rising revenues, citing the impact of the national transaction tax, higher costs and increased thefts. The article also highlights analysis from INESS, as part of the Epicenter network’s Alternative EU Budget project, showing that the proposed new EU corporate resource (CORE) would require Billa to pay approximately €750,000 to the EU budget even while making a loss. The analysis warns that such a turnover-based levy would apply regardless of profitability, further undermine European competitiveness and encroach on national tax competences.

In SeznamZpravy.cz, Michael Fanta, Chief Analyst at the Centre for Economic and Market Analyses (CETA) and part of the Epicenter network, argued that the planned EU budget for 2028–2034 is large and important for Czechia, but that Europe needs a functioning Single Market more than simply more money. Fanta stressed that redistribution alone does not guarantee prosperity and highlighted the risks of new own resources and the normalisation of joint EU borrowing, consistent with the findings of Epicenter’s Alternative EU Budget study.