Europe's leaders have been on the move this week, from boardrooms in the Port City of Antwerp, to a castle in eastern Belgium, ringed by a moat.

First, they sat down with industry chiefs laying out a bleak picture.

Plant closures, high energy prices, collapsing investment, and Europe losing ground to China and the U.S.

A day later, many of those same leaders gathered at Alden Beeson Castle for a little getaway hosted by Antonio Costa

to talk about how to restore Europe's competitive edge and fix its sluggish economy.

But haven't we heard all that before? Competitiveness has been the buzzword for years. The so-called Antwerp Declaration,

a plea for support and regulatory relief from some of Europe's most powerful business lobbies,

had its third anniversary gathering

in the Belgian port city, and EU leaders from the German chancellor to the commission president

made enthusiastic appearances. And yet the divisions on actually doing anything remain.

France is pushing for joint borrowing and by European. Germany is wary of new debt,

Nordic countries skeptical of protectionism.

And then there's another split,

the commission insisting it has put the tools on the table

while the member states refused to pick them up.

So is Europe finally ready to act?

Or just rehearsing the same arguments in a different setting?

Can the EU boost growth without sacrificing its green ambitions

and throwing out the basics of good governance?

Are the solutions on the table even going to fix the real problems?

I'm Sarah Wheaton, host of EU Confidential.

Later in the episode, we'll touch on the latest political developments in Portugal

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