In her 2025 State of the Union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an initiative with the potential to provide the Union with a concrete instrument for action: a Single Market Roadmap to complete and relaunch Europe’s internal market, anchored to a clear political horizon, 2028. It is a pragmatic and valuable approach, capable of translating into practice the vision and proposals of the report Much More Than a Market, realigning Europe’s policy action with the urgency of the present.

The strength of this initiative lies, above all, in its method and its metrics. Thirty years ago, Jacques Delors succeeded in launching the Single Market because he combined vision with operational clarity. He set milestones and deadlines, tilted the process toward its objective, and generated the political momentum needed to stay on course.

Today, perhaps even more than yesterday, the same principle applies: if we are to bridge the gap between plans and outcomes, we must return to the discipline of measurable objectives, transparent indicators, and clearly assigned responsibilities for implementation.