Friends of Europe

Last Thursday, our annual #StateOfEU high-level roundtable brought together policymakers from politics, business and civil society to seek responses to defining challenges facing Europe, ranging from the AI revolution and security threats to the urgent clean energy transition. The discussions highlighted several areas where Europe needs to move from ambition to action: 🔹 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗶𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆. Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, stressed the importance of bolstering energy resilience, including through the Commission’s proposed Circular Economy Act. 🔹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁. Former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta was backed by senior business leaders when pressing for the EU to move quickly to complete its Single Market, ending the fragmentation that holds back innovation and growth, preventing Europe from competing effectively with the US, China and other players. 🔹 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Speakers called for mechanisms to unlock Europe’s vast pool of savings to fund investments in tech and other pro-growth sectors. 🔹 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲’𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆. Joining online, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Vsevolod Chentsov urged tighter sanctions to prevent Russia from securing funding and spare parts for missiles and drones used in its campaign against civilian targets in Kyiv and other cities. 🔹 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗜. In a panel debate on the growth of AI, speakers pointed to the danger of Europe’s increasing dependence on foreign tech players as it falls further behind in the race to develop AI and other cutting-edge technologies. To counter that risk, Prof. Dr. Fritzi Koehler-Geib, Member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank, suggested that European nations unite behind an AI initiative inspired by the successful Airbus project. 🔹 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲’𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Yolanda Díaz Pérez, Vice President of the Government of Spain and Minister of Labour and Social Economy, who spoke from Madrid, called for action to curb the excessive power of tech companies over democratic institutions and citizens’ lives. The discussions also looked beyond Europe’s borders, with ministers from Albania, Moldova, North Macedonia and Romania contributing to a panel on enlargement, alongside informal briefings on Europe’s relations with Brazil, India, Canada and Palestine. Looking ahead, #StateOfEU made clear that Europe’s competitiveness, security and global influence will depend on the choices it makes today. 🔗 Relive the event here: https://lnkd.in/eEpu7A6D 📸 See the photo album: https://lnkd.in/excx_hPA #DelorsFoEFoundation #FutureOfEurope #OneEuropeOneMarket

✨ We’re kicking off our Festival of Politics and Ideas with the 2026 Gala Dinner. Last night, Friends of Europe brought together European leaders, policymakers and changemakers for an evening of conversation, reflection and ideas ahead of today's State of Europe. We were delighted to welcome Enrico Letta, Isabelle Durant, Carl Bildt, Katia Tarasconi, Disa Jironet and Péter Pető, among many other distinguished guests joining us this evening. A warm thank you to our valued partners participants for joining us as we kick off this year’s edition. Today, the Festival continues with #StateOfEU, bringing voices from across Europe and beyond together to debate the challenges and choices ahead. ➡️ Learn more about the programme: https://lnkd.in/eEpu7A6D #DelorsFoEFoundation #OneEuropeOneMarket Jacques Delors Friends of Europe Foundation The Coca-Cola Company The School for Moral Ambition McKinsey Global Institute TheMerode European Investment Bank (EIB) John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation Umicore

❝Europe in net terms, net additions to its capital stock, is investing 2% of its GDP a year. That’s a near-death experience.❞ Speaking at #StateOfEU, Jan Mischke, Partner at the McKinsey Global Institute, stressed that investment is fundamental to Europe’s competitiveness. He contrasted Europe’s net additions to its capital stock, at around 2% of GDP annually, with 4% in the US and an estimated 21% in China, warning that competition from China is only just beginning to intensify. For Europe, the challenge is to create the conditions for businesses to invest, build future capabilities and generate the income and wealth on which long-term prosperity depends. 🎥 Watch the full session here: https://lnkd.in/e-z4MpKE #EUCompetitiveness #OneEuropeOneMarket

❝Energy resilience is linked to so much more than only energy policy.❞ Speaking at our recent #StateOfEU, Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, stressed that water policy must be part of Europe’s energy strategy. Water scarcity and droughts can affect energy security by reducing hydropower output and constraining nuclear power generation. Reflecting on the droughts and extreme weather experienced in summer 2026, she also highlighted the role nature-based solutions can play in strengthening Europe’s resilience to climate change. How to build a more resilient Europe was a key theme at #StateOfEU, with speakers exploring how to strengthen energy security, prepare for climate risks and mobilise investment in the infrastructure needed for the future. 🎥 Watch the full session here: https://lnkd.in/eXW9rcMD #EnergyResilience #WaterResilience #DelorsFoEFoundation

⚡ What is the most important choice Europe needs to make now to strengthen its future? For Bart Sap, CEO of Umicore, Europe needs to decide which industries it wants to remain active in – and secure the critical raw materials they depend on. On the margins of #StateOfEU, he identified four strategic sectors: clean energy, data and AI, defence and essential pharmaceuticals. He called for stronger cooperation within the Single Market and with international partners, alongside clear, consistent policies to encourage investment. ➡️ Tomorrow’s #EnergyClimateSummit will examine how Europe can diversify its sources of critical raw materials, scale up recycling and strengthen the industrial value chains underpinning its clean transition. Bart Sap will contribute to these discussions in a session on critical raw materials and circularity. The Summit will also bring together Dan Jørgensen, Melanie Nakagawa, Nicolas Lefevre-Marton, Beatriz Corredor Sierra and Sandrine Dixson-Declève, alongside policymakers and industry leaders, to examine the choices shaping Europe’s energy, climate and industrial future. 🎥 Watch Bart Sap’s full answer below. 🔗 Explore the Summit's programme and join us tomorrow: https://lnkd.in/e9BFt-zb #CleanTransition #EUCompetitiveness #DelorsFoEFoundation

Regulatory fragmentation is holding back the Single Market and Europe’s competitiveness. At our recent #StateOfEU, Luisa Ortega, President of Coca Cola Europe, stressed the need for EU regulatory simplification, so that businesses can operate in predictable conditions, leading to growth and investment. Driving European competitiveness was a key topic at our recent State of Europe high-level roundtable, with speakers calling for faster progress on completing the Single Market. 🎥 Watch the full session here: https://lnkd.in/efjvhyrw #OneEuropeOneMarket #EuropeanCompetitiveness