On 24 June 2025, the Institute of Public Policy – Lisbon (IPP), in cooperation with the PromethEUs network and with the support of Google, hosted a closed-door workshop entitled “Simplify to Compete: Rethinking EU Regulation for a Digital Future”. The event took place at ISEG – Lisbon School of Economics & Management and brought together a select group of European policymakers, researchers, and public policy experts to examine the role of regulatory simplification in fostering innovation, digital transformation, and economic competitiveness across the European Union.
This workshop forms part of an ongoing series of policy dialogues coordinated by PromethEUs—a network of Southern European think tanks dedicated to promoting digital transformation and EU integration from a competitiveness perspective. The Lisbon event preceded the formal launch of the associated policy report, which will be presented at the European Parliament in Brussels on 2 July 2025.
Framing the Debate: Why Simplification Matters
The workshop responded to a growing consensus within European institutions that regulatory complexity may be undermining the Union’s ability to respond effectively to fast-paced technological change, global competition, and strategic industrial challenges. As such, simplification is no longer viewed solely as an administrative goal, but as a strategic imperative tied to Europe’s competitiveness and digital sovereignty.
Opening remarks from the IPP and ISEG leadership framed the discussion around two central questions:
- How can the EU regulatory environment be made more coherent and responsive to digital innovation?
- What institutional, legal, and political tools can be leveraged to reduce fragmentation and promote investment?
Panel I – Presenting the Report: Four Pillars of Reform
The first panel of the workshop was dedicated to the presentation of the draft policy report, which comprises four thematic chapters:
- Streamlining Digital Regulation in the EU
Stefano da Empoli (I-Com, Italy)examined recent efforts to simplify EU legislation, such as the “one-in, one-out” principle and omnibus simplification packages. He placed emphasis on the need for regulatory interoperability across Member States and the risks of asymmetrical regulatory burdens between small and large firms and underlined that simplification must not be confused with deregulation, and that clarity, coherence, and adaptability are the true goals.
- Lessons from Portugal’s SIMPLEX Programme
Steffen Hoernig (IPP and Nova SBE, Portugal) presented insights from Portugal’s acclaimed SIMPLEX programme, a long-standing administrative modernisation initiative. He highlighted five lessons that could inform future EU-wide initiatives, including the proposed “28th legal regime”:
- Avoid digitalising existing complexity;
- Align legal simplification with digital infrastructure;
- Engage stakeholders through bottom-up consultation;
- Ensure legal adaptability through feedback loops;
- Evaluate implementation and outcomes systematically.
SIMPLEX was showcased as a case of political continuity, effective coordination, and stakeholder engagement—critical elements in making regulatory reform sustainable.
- Artificial Intelligence and Europe’s Digital Strategy
Darío García de Viedma (Royal Elcano Institute, Spain) examined the multi-layered approach the EU has taken towards AI: from regulation (AI Act), to coordination (national plans), institutionalisation (European AI Office), and competitiveness (AI investment strategy). He diagnosed the “southern asymmetry” in venture capital investment across Europe, especially in countries such as Portugal, Greece, and Spain, and proposed measures to bridge the gap between public R&D support and private sector scale-up capacity.
- Industrial Policy: Semiconductors and Quantum Technologies
Aggelos Tsakanikas (LIEE, Greece) discussed the strategic importance of securing European leadership in critical technologies, focusing on the EU Chips Act and quantum research frameworks. Challenges identified include supply chain dependencies, talent shortages, and slow implementation at industrial scale. He called for closer alignment between regulatory policy, the green transition, and innovation funding under the EU’s competitiveness agenda.
Panel II – Roundtable Discussion: Challenges and Opportunities
The second part of the workshop featured a moderated roundtable under the Chatham House Rule, allowing for a frank and constructive exchange of views. Participants addressed several key questions:
- Why have so many EU-level simplification initiatives failed to deliver substantial results?
- How can Member States contribute to a more harmonised but flexible regulatory space?
- What are the risks of widening inequalities between digitally advanced and lagging regions?
- How should the EU balance regulatory ambition with administrative feasibility?
Speakers stressed that overproduction of complex legislation, fragmented implementation, and lack of ex post evaluation continue to hamper effective simplification. Several interventions highlighted the need for political incentives that reward quality over quantity in the EU legislative process. Others advocated for stronger collaboration between the European Commission, Member States, and local administrations to co-design and test simplified regimes.
Portugal’s SIMPLEX was repeatedly cited as a rare example of political continuity across governments and an institutional culture of listening to citizens and businesses. Participants also acknowledged the limitations of one-size-fits-all approaches and called for flexible instruments, such as opt-in regimes, to accommodate the diversity of Member States.
Conclusion and Next Steps
The workshop closed with a strong sense of purpose and mutual understanding of the complexities involved in regulatory reform. There was broad agreement that simplification is not a purely legal or technical matter, but a deeply political and institutional process that requires long-term vision, coordination, and trust-building.
PromethEUs will continue its mission to inform the EU policy agenda through evidence-based dialogue, regional cooperation, and forward-looking proposals in the digital and competitiveness domains.