European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted cutting bureaucracy amid efforts to make the European Union more competitive in remarks to German business leaders in Berlin on Tuesday.
"We continue to be the economic area that exports the most worldwid. But I'm saying clearly that we have to step up a gear to secure what has been achieved and to remain ahead. We have to become faster, more digital and cleaner," the German politician said.
Cutting EU red tape was making progress, she said, with reporting requirements for companies being reduced.
Rainer Dulger, head of the Confederation of German Employers (BDA), said the EU had made life difficult for companies with over-complicated regulation. "We need to change that," he said.
Competitiveness had to return to the top of the agenda in Europe. "We have to be faster, we have to become more digital, and we must also become simpler," he said.
The right EU decisions could make Europe a growth driver, he said. The EU should stop its increasing intervention in member states' social policies, he added.
Von der Leyen is aiming for a second term as European Commission president as the lead candidate of the conservative European People's Party (EPP).
