EBF Urges European Council to Accelerate the Financial Sector Simplification to Boost Europe’s Growth and Competitiveness

EBF LETTER

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Brussels, 11 February 2026 - The European Banking Federation(EBF) has submitted a letter to the President of the European Council, António Costa, ahead of the informal EU leaders' retreat of 12 February focused on competitiveness and the Single Market.

In the letter, EBF President Slawomir Krupacalls for decisive action to accelerate financial sector simplification in order to strengthen Europe's growth, competitiveness and strategic autonomy. Echoing the concerns highlighted by Mario Draghi on Europe's competitiveness and investment needs, the letter underlines the central role of Europe's bank-financed economy in supporting strategic priorities, innovation, sustainability and security.

While reaffirming the importance of financial stability and resilience, the letter stresses the need for a more effective, efficient and coherent regulatory and supervisory framework that enables banks to deploy capital efficiently and fully support Europe's long-term prosperity.

The full letter is available below.