The EU has great economic strength and considerable untapped economic potential. Our single market makes us a major global economic player, but we are still passing up opportunities for growth. So today, at an informal European Council in Alden Biesen, we are going to discuss how we can seize those opportunities. In this regard we’ll be talking about strengthening our single market by reducing and simplifying regulations, and investing in innovation with a specific focus on the sustainability and digital transitions. We also need to boost our economic resilience and reduce our dependence on other countries. This means, for example, engaging in new strategic partnerships with friendly countries ‒ e.g. in regard to critical raw materials ‒ so that together we can ensure reliable supply chains. It also means diversifying our trade flows, by reaching trade agreements like the deal we recently concluded with India.(Dick Schoof)