15 February 2021

The Index of Liberalisation unveils which countries rank best in economic liberalisation and provides insight on countries with the infrastructure to rebound quicker following this public health crisis.

The Index identifies both competition barriers and the best economic practices across nine sectors of the economy in the 27 member states of the European Union and the UK. The report finds that the highest scores in the Index are associated with lower entry costs, greater dynamism, and a larger plurality of operators, offers, and products. This implies that liberalisation is strongly associated with a country’s economic growth and level of innovation.

Whilst most European countries are not too enthusiastic about market liberalisation, there has been a gradual opening of member states’ markets. This is partly due to the Commission’s achievements as well as learning from the success of liberalised economies. Unfortunately, the effect of Brexit, the impact of Covid-19, and the growing support towards industrial policy may slow this positive trend.