ESBG Spotlight Event calls for a future-proof EU banking framework - WSBI ESBG
Supporting the European Commission’s competitiveness review, the ESBG Spotlight Event event featured discussions on the future of the EU banking framework, including supervisory predictability and accountability; regulatory simplification and level playing field; the future of the prudential framework; and the potential of savings banks.
Brussels, 15 June 2026 – The European Savings and Retail Banking Group (ESBG) celebrated the official launch of its landmark report “Competitiveness is Now” with a Spotlight Event. Held at the ESBG headquarters in Brussels, the event featured discussions on the future of the EU banking framework, including supervisory predictability and accountability; regulatory simplification and level playing field; the future of the prudential framework; and the potential of savings banks. Directly feeding into the debate on the European Commission’s competitiveness review and the 2027 legislative agenda, Michael Hager, the Head of Cabinet for Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification, gave an introductory speech and participated in the debate. Reinforcing the crucial role that savings and retail banks play in financing the European economy, Christian Castro, Head of Public Affairs at CaixaBank (Spain); Sofia Lindh Possne, Head of Group Public and Regulatory Affairs at Swedbank (Sweden); Jiří Zapletal, Representative of the Executive Board to the EU and Director for EU Affairs at DSGV (Germany); and Benoît de la Chapelle-Bizot, Head of Public Affairs at Groupe BPCE (France), took the stage. The panellists from ESBG member banks reiterated the key messages of the Competitiveness is Now report and called for an EU banking framework suitable to respond to the profound changes in the global economy, freeing up the banks’ lending capacity to support long-term and sustainable growth across Europe. The discussions underlined the need to create a more coherent and risk-sensitive regulation for the banking sector, which passes the ‘’one-size-fits-all’’ logic and respects the diversity of the banking sector, supporting smaller and low-risk institutions that play an important role in local finance through their relationship-based models. The speakers agreed that the EU regulatory and supervisory framework has become abundant after the 2008 financial crisis, introducing layer after layer of legislation for banks. Using the analogy of buckling seatbelts in a car to ensure safety, the debate explored ways to “use only one seatbelt instead of 50” to simplify the regulatory environment and allow “oxygen” for banks. Read the reportThe speakers agreed that the EU regulatory and supervisory framework has become abundant after the 2008 financial crisis, introducing layer after layer of legislation for banks. Using the analogy of buckling seatbelts in a car to ensure safety, the debate explored ways to “use only one seatbelt instead of 50” to simplify the regulatory environment and allow “oxygen” for banks. Among the recommendations of the Competitiveness is Now report, the introduction of a regulatory moratorium was thoroughly discussed. According to the arguments, space must be created to revise the current framework without the constant need to implement new pieces of legislation and respond to new reporting requirements that might become obsolete once the broader revision efforts are completed. Reconfirming another call from the report, the panellists urged for incorporating competitiveness in the mandate of supervisory authorities so that they can be held accountable for measures hindering growth in Europe. In conclusion, all speakers agreed that a future-proof EU banking framework must strike the right balance between effective supervision and avoiding unnecessary burden on banks’ day-to-day activities. This would enable banks to support better businesses and households across Europe, fostering growth and strengthening the EU’s competitiveness in an increasingly challenging global environment. More photos on Flickr