Driving Change through EU Policy & Values
“In a resource-constrained, polluted world with time constraints, you are going to need policy intervention to decide what is manufactured, how it is supplied, what materials are used, what energy is used. Policymakers can step in and say it’s an emergency situation, we have to do something.”
DAVID PECK, TU Delft
Building Strategic Autonomy in a Global Economy
As supply chain resilience gains importance, the EU will need to advance policy initiatives to help European manufacturers build competitive capacity and continuity, protect the region’s interests and promote its values worldwide.
The turbulent events of recent years, including the COVID-19 crisis and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have challenged the vision of a globalised economy. This is forcing European politicians and companies to consider relocating manufacturing operations to trusted trade partners, as a way to guard against supply chain disruptions.
Such a shift will demand EU policymakers to work closer together with the private sector, think collaboratively and to implement rules and standards that can help manufacturers pursue this strategy of strategic autonomy, and to do so in a way that allows them to sustain their global competitiveness.
Relevant signals for the area for action
Leading the Way in a Competitive AI Landscape
Europe will need to take a sensible approach to data privacy and protection to ensure it leads the way in AI and become competitive while remaining in accordance with its EU values and principles.
With the rise of AI, the need for good data is greater than ever — and so is the need to establish adequate legal and ethical frameworks that can guarantee responsible implementation in the EU.
Policymakers will be faced with the challenge of balancing the risks and threats posed by AI applications, while also enabling European manufacturers to leverage the region’s wealth of data, technical knowledge and industry know-how to develop and scale innovative solutions that are sustainable, secure, trustworthy and competitive.
It will be essential for policymakers to be AI-literate as well as demand actionable data, to be able to make the right decisions.
Designing for a Greener Future
EU policy will shape the next generation of products and equipment that will drive the ‘twin transition’ that Europe needs to make.
Policies, rules and principles laid down at EU level will guide, support and trigger innovation that will ensure that European manufacturers deliver on their commitment to address the climate emergency.
As new industry regulations are set, companies in Europe will be expected to rethink how their products are designed, manufactured, transported and used; find ways to reduce their resource and energy footprint; adopt circularity principles, and more generally, help improve the living conditions of citizens in Europe and beyond.