Over the past few years, the word “competitiveness” has become inescapable in the European debate. Yet its very ubiquity has rendered the concept increasingly ambiguous. 

This article – published by Villa Vigoni Editore | Verlag in collaboration with the Arel Single Market Lab – argues that the EU’s current competitiveness agenda does not rest on a single coherent doctrine but is structured around the coexistence of three distinct and partly overlapping interpretations. 

By analysing competitiveness as a plural and contested policy paradigm rather than a unitary concept, the article contributes to a clearer understanding of the strengths and limits of the EU’s current strategic framework. It concludes that governing, rather than eliminating, the internal ambiguities of competitiveness is essential for transforming it from a rhetorical umbrella into a coherent guide for European policymaking.