Mario Draghi: seven factors endangering the future of the European Union

Mario Draghi returned to his report on European competitiveness. Today, five months after its publication, it is incredibly late. Here are seven reasons.

Mario Draghi returned to his report on European competitiveness. On Tuesday, 18 February, speaking at the European Parliament, he reiterated the urgent reforms proposed in the document published five months ago. Indeed, with the new geopolitical and economic context, the critical issues highlighted are even more pressing.

For Draghi, the future of the European Union depends on its ability to act as a single economic entity, reduce internal fragmentation, and face global challenges with greater cohesion. However, the path will be complex and involve all key economic aspects: research, industry, trade and finance.

Here are the seven main factors that are endangering Europe’s future from an economic point of view.

1. Europe is practically absent in the fight for artificial intelligence

The first point Draghi raised concerns Artificial Intelligence (AI). The former ECB president pointed out that progress in this area has been impressive: AI algorithms have reached accuracy levels close to 90 per cent in scientific benchmarks, and the costs of training models have been drastically reduced.

Despite this, Europe is almost absent from global competition. Eight of the ten leading companies in the sector are from the US, and the other two are from China. Without targeted investments and a clear industrial strategy, Europe risks falling behind in one of the most strategic sectors for the economy’s future.

2. Energy prices are unsustainable

Energy prices in Europe remain two to three times higher than in the US, creating a substantial competitive disadvantage for European companies.

During the energy crisis in 2022, the price of electricity in Germany increased more than tenfold compared to normal levels. Although the situation has improved, the European industry’s dependency on external suppliers and the slow energy transition remainsignificantr problems.

3. Trade war against the US is imminent

Draghi identified US trade policy as a real threat to the European economy. Should Donald Trump return to the White House, new tariffs on European products are almost inevitable, putting the continent’s exports at risk.

Moreover, trade restrictions against China are already causing Chinese products to invade European markets, directly affecting local industries.

4. Europe is its own greatest enemy

Mario Draghi then spoke of stagnation, the European economy growing much more slowly than in other regions. One main reason is the absence of a truly integrated single market. According to the International Monetary Fund, internal barriers within the European Union amount to 45% tariffs for the manufacturing sector and 110% for services.

Start-ups and innovative companies often prefer to move to the US rather than grow in Europe due to the red tape and lack of access to capital. Draghi emphasised that the EU must simplify its regulations and promote a plan to harmonise national laws to enable companies to compete globally.

A significant example is GDPR, the European Data Protection Regulation, which, according to some estimates, has increased data management costs for European companies by 20%.

5. Capital markets suffer

Europeans, and mainly Italians, are among the world’s biggest savers. However, these savings are not invested in innovation but mainly in bank accounts, allowing credit institutions to generate profits without contributing to the technology sector’s growth.

Every year, around USD 300 billion remains in the coffers of lending institutions while start-ups struggle to raise capital to expand. Draghi believes that creating a more efficient capital market favouring innovative companies’ financing is necessary.

7. The legislative process is too slow

Draghi pointed out the European Union’s average time to adopt new regulations is 20 months. Such a delay is incompatible with the pace of technological innovation and economic change.

“If it takes us 20 months to legislate, we are already out of date before implementation,” said the former ECB president. This problem is particularly evident in the digital sectors, where the US and China can adapt their regulations quickly to foster the growth of emerging industries.

8. The decisive turning point

Finally, Draghi pointed out that the European Union continues to act as a coalition of states rather than as a single economic and political entity. An obvious example is the defence sector, where systems are not interoperable, and no common standards exist.

The lack of coordination between member states limits Europe’s ability to protect its interests and support the growth of local companies. “If we want to defend our borders, make our companies prosper and secure a future for European citizens, we have to start acting as one nation,” Draghi said.

Mario Draghi’s competitiveness report highlighted more current challenges than ever. If Europe wants to maintain a leading role in the global economy, it must tackle these problems head-on.

The alternative is clear: continue to lose ground to the US and China, with negative consequences for businesses, workers and the continent’s future.