Science, Technology, and Innovation in EU Strategy
Europe faces geopolitical challenges and economic difficulties. Drawing inspiration from three influential reports, the EU has put science, technology, and innovation (STI) at the forefront of its plans to drive growth and advance strategic autonomy. This promises significant changes to the continent’s STI sector.
The EU – and Europe as a whole – is at a historical inflection point. Russia’s war against Ukraine, China’s persistent rise, and the return of an America First president pose severe challenges to its prosperity, welfare, and security. At the same time, the EU has many internal challenges, too. Economic growth has slowed over the past three decades. Productivity dropped from 95 to 80 per cent compared to the US, while the GDP gap doubled to 30 per cent. Meanwhile, China is catching up. Climate change, technological acceleration, and a shrinking workforce pose additional difficulties. The EU, according to a seminal report by Mario Draghi, faces “an existential challenge.”