Prior to today’s European Council, I took part in two important breakfast sessions. The first was the now regular consultations we have on migration with like-minded countries such as Italy, Denmark and Belgium. This time our focus was on return: how we ensure that people who have no right to stay in Europe actually return to their countries of origin. Together we are working to improve the legal framework and develop innovative solutions. The Letter of Intent signed recently by the Netherlands and Uganda to implement a so-called transit hub is the first step towards solutions of this kind. We are also taking steps to enhance our collaboration with Syria, while more and more Syrians are returning home voluntarily. It’s good to work together in this area with European partners. The second session focused on boosting Europe’s competitiveness. A properly functioning single market is crucial in this regard. We discussed our joint call for further simplification. We need to ensure that the rules we set do not hinder our entrepreneurs, companies and industries. On the contrary, we must help them remain competitive.(Dick Schoof)