Erkki Keldo 08.12.2025 nr 10.1-13/1187-1
Majandus- ja tööstusminister
Majandus- ja Kommunikatsiooniministeerium
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]
Rue Guimard 11/13 1040 Brüssel Tel: +32 2 227 39 10
[email protected] https://eu.mfa.ee/et/
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.
./..
Mr Erkki Keldo
Minister of Economy and Industry of Estonia
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussels, Belgique/BELGÏE – Tel. +32 2299 11 11
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