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Published on: 02/10/2026 - 18:18
This week, Caroline De Camaret welcomes Maciej Witucki, president of BusinessEurope since July 1, 2026. The largest employers' organization in Europe, BusinessEurope represents more than 40 national employers' federations from 35 countries. Polish by nationality, he takes stock with us of the European entrepreneurial landscape, its challenges and areas for improvement.
“One country alone cannot face all these global challenges”
The future seems bleak in Europe and around the world, with the multiplication of crises. Maciej Witucki tempers: "European bosses believe in Europe. (...) one country alone cannot face all these global challenges." Faced with the flash increase in energy prices, due, among other things, to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, Maciej Witucki recalls: "the fear is indeed the deterioration of the competitiveness of European companies. But it is not only for companies; it also directly affects consumers, through inflation". If certain countries have decided, in the face of urgency, to reduce taxes on fuels, BusinessEurope advocates long-term solutions: "there are not 36,000. There is the single energy market, so we need to share our assets more".
He does not comment on a European tax on superprofits, since among the members of BusinessEurope, certain federations are in favor of it: "there is no common position, there are positions by country. In my country, in Poland, this tax was just signed last night by the president." But for him, "the room for maneuver in the short term is not enormous. We must count on the overall lull for prices to return to normal."
“No one wants to throw the defense of the planet out the window”
BusinessEurope has also asked the Commission to freeze new European Union (EU) green regulations to avoid additional costs for businesses. This request has provoked an outcry from environmental organizations, for whom a postponement of green legislation would further weaken the European Green Deal without restoring competitiveness.
Maciej Witucki explains: "no one wants to throw the defense of the planet out the window, especially after the heatwave (...) but we must better calculate the objectives and the associated costs, the impact on prices and the impact on competitiveness".
“Before the war, Ukraine had the capacity to supply energy to Europe”
The representative of European employers also visited Ukraine several times. If the end of the war could bring, in the future, major reconstruction projects, he qualifies: "the Ukrainians have been rebuilding on their own since the first day of the Russian invasion; and they are doing it very well." For him, there are above all reasons to draw inspiration from Ukrainian capacities for innovation: “already in Soviet times, Ukraine was a country of engineers, aviation and space technology”. These skills are reflected in their ability to create new models of defense drones, but which could also be "dual-use", that is to say reconverted in other areas such as agriculture or industry. Another advantage according to him: "today, Ukraine's energy capacity has been heavily hit. But it is a country with strong nuclear experience and as there is a nuclear renaissance movement in Europe, this could contribute to better balancing our European networks."
“We cannot cut the link with China, but we must regain control”
The major challenges for European industry are embodied in particular in the electric car. With strong competition from the Chinese, the industry is struggling to maintain itself in Europe. Maciej Witucki advocates lucidity: "we have become too dependent (...) This dependence on China comes from the fact that it allowed us to have, on the one hand, the development ambitions of Europe, and on the other hand, pressure towards lower prices." We will therefore have to pay the price at one point or another: “the time for cheap products will perhaps not be completely over, but it will be moderate”. "We have somewhere naively invested all our technologies in Shenzhen, China, 30 years ago. Today, what we expect is for there to be Chinese Shenzhens but in Europe; for this Chinese technology, which is possibly a Chinese investment, but under European control, just as it was, 30 years ago in China, to be developed here. We cannot cut the link, but we must regain control, whether it is on technologies or on the companies themselves.
“We cannot afford to lose the European social model”
Although he chairs the largest European employers' organization, Maciej Witucki's trajectory is primarily Polish. Poland is a symbol of economic success in Europe. Growth is more than 3.6% in 2026 and since 2023, the return of Donald Tusk to power has made it possible to release 137 billion euros frozen by the European Union (EU) due to breaches of the rule of law by the previous ultraconservative government. For Maciej Witucki, there are several lessons to be learned from Poland: "the lesson is that Poland has entrepreneurship, openness to private business. This is something that is now coming back to Europe (...) there is much more openness to discuss with business and balance with the social partners, which are very important, because we cannot afford to lose the European social model." The defense of the rule of law is also at the center, which Poland demonstrated after eight years of a “not entirely liberal” regime. The president of BusinessEurope explains: "we are definitely in favor of defending the rule of law. But for that, we need to have interesting proposals for citizens to return to growth, from bosses, social partners and politicians."
“The pressure from the United States opened our eyes”
US President Donald Trump imposed an unbalanced trade agreement on Europeans, pushing them to sign partnerships with many other countries. For Maciej Witucki, “this pressure from the United States opened our eyes. It pushed us towards more aggressiveness and international action”. He welcomes the free trade treaty with the Mercosur countries or the one that is emerging with India in the coming months. The multiplication of these partners also represents a guarantee for the future: “all of this gives us openings for our exports, it gives us access to raw materials that we will need. It also gives us arguments in discussions for future deals with the United States and China”.
Program prepared by Isabelle Romero, Perrine Desplats, Agnès Le Cossec, Paul Guinvarc'h and Florine Hausfater
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