Europe’s technological sovereignty and competitiveness will depend on its ability to build faster, invest smarter and put regions at the heart of delivery, EPP-CoR members stressed during an exchange with Eva Maydell MEP, Member of the European Parliament, Vice-Coordinator in the Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) committee.
The discussion focused on Europe’s response to global competition in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, cloud infrastructure, energy and strategic industrial capacity. Speakers underlined that Europe cannot compete through regulation alone. It must strengthen electricity grids, speed up permitting, invest in data centres and clean energy infrastructure, and ensure that cohesion policy remains a central part of the competitiveness agenda.
Opening the exchange, Eva Maydell stressed that Europe is facing a geopolitical and macroeconomic turning point. The rapid development of artificial intelligence is placing unprecedented pressure on energy systems, while global competitors are investing heavily in semiconductors, AI infrastructure, cloud capacity and energy resilience.
“Europe’s competitiveness cannot be built from Brussels alone, nor through more legislation for its own sake. It must be built with regions, with faster permitting, stronger grids, affordable energy and cohesion policy at its core. If we want AI, semiconductors, cloud infrastructure and clean industry to scale in Europe, we need to plan digital and energy infrastructure together and give regions the tools to deliver,” said Eva Maydell MEP.
She underlined that Europe’s competitiveness agenda must treat energy, digital infrastructure and industrial capacity as one strategic priority. Strong electricity grids, faster permitting, smart energy systems, secure data and resilient digital networks are no longer secondary technical issues, but the foundations of Europe’s economic autonomy.
From the regional perspective, Olgierd Geblewicz, President of the West Pomerania Region, pointed to his region as a concrete example of both Europe’s potential and its current bottlenecks. West Pomerania has been a leader in renewable energy production for two decades and now produces around 130% of its regional energy consumption from green energy. However, limited grid capacity risks holding back further clean energy projects and new digital infrastructure.
“Europe’s AI independence will depend on whether we can connect clean energy regions with the digital infrastructure of the future. West Pomerania is ready: we produce more green energy than we consume. But grids, permitting and investment incentives must keep pace if regions like ours are to attract data centres and help build Europe’s technological sovereignty,” said Olgierd Geblewicz.
He called for a European analysis identifying regions with strong renewable energy capacity where strategic digital infrastructure, including data centres, could be located. He also stressed the need to reduce red tape, accelerate permitting and create incentives for private investment connected to public infrastructure.
Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon highlighted that the competitiveness debate must be translated into concrete terms that citizens understand. He argued that “jobs” should be at the centre of how Europe communicates competitiveness, because it makes the agenda tangible for people. He also supported faster permitting and warned that Europe must invest more than it regulates.
“Europe must invest more than it regulates. Competitiveness becomes real for citizens when it means jobs, faster delivery and fewer blocked projects. If administrations do not respond within a clear deadline, we should look seriously at tacit approval mechanisms. Without discipline in permitting, Europe will not build the infrastructure its future requires,” said Carlos Moedas.
He added that Europe has the experience and know-how to build the foundations of major technological transformation, recalling Europe’s role in developing internet infrastructure. The challenge now is to apply that capacity to AI, energy systems and the digital infrastructure of the future.
Frank Proust, Councillor of Nîmes City and Metropolis, warned that Europe’s main weakness is not a lack of ambition, but the gap between declared priorities and the budgets needed to achieve them. Comparing European investment with the scale of American and Chinese investment, he stressed that Europe must define clear strategic priorities, maintain continuity over time and back political will with serious funding.
“Political will only becomes real when it is matched by budgetary will. Europe has champions, but we must turn them into global giants. To do that, we need clear priorities, serious budgets, long-term continuity and less administrative burden. Without that, the gap with the United States, China and other global powers will only continue to grow,” said Frank Proust.
He also pointed to energy policy as an example where Europe needs greater consistency, warning that repeated changes of direction on nuclear, solar and wind energy weaken Europe’s ability to compete. He stressed that reducing administrative burdens is essential, especially where national over-regulation adds further obstacles to EU-level rules.
The exchange highlighted four main messages:
- First, Europe’s competitiveness agenda must be territorial. Regions and cities are where energy, grids, permitting, industrial projects and citizens’ expectations meet.
- Second, Europe’s tech sovereignty depends on energy sovereignty. AI factories, semiconductor production, cloud infrastructure and data centres cannot be developed without affordable, reliable and locally available energy.
- Third, Europe must become faster at building. Permitting delays, administrative burdens and fragmented planning are holding back strategic industrial and energy projects.
- Fourth, political ambition must be matched by budgetary ambition. Cohesion policy, regional development funding, the Modernisation Fund, the Innovation Fund and other EU instruments must work together to support regions in delivering Europe’s industrial and technological future.
The EPP-CoR Group stressed that Europe’s competitiveness will only succeed if it reaches the ground. Strong regions, faster procedures, robust grids, clean energy and serious investment must become the backbone of Europe’s response to global competition.