Mon Sep 09 14:36:57 UTC 2024: ## Draghi’s Report Calls for Urgency and Concreteness in Boosting EU Competitiveness
**Brussels, September 9th:** Former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi released his highly anticipated report on the future of Europe’s competitiveness today, highlighting the need for “urgency and concreteness” in addressing the bloc’s economic challenges.
The report outlines a “serious existential challenge” stemming from weak growth, attributed to factors like lagging productivity, high energy prices, and a lack of investment.
While Draghi offers concrete policy proposals in areas like energy, including a new EU legal framework for cross-border energy grids, his recommendations on more politically sensitive issues remain vague.
He calls for joint EU debt to finance major investments in the green and digital transition, but only “if the political and institutional conditions are in place,” raising concerns about resistance from fiscally conservative member states like the Netherlands and Germany.
Draghi also advocates for a more “forward-looking” competition policy that fosters innovation and resilience, but provides few specifics on how this should be implemented.
He suggests reevaluating competition policy in the tech sector and speeding up the merger evaluation process, but avoids naming specific industries or outlining a clear path forward.
While the report emphasizes the need for a green transition, Draghi also calls for a rebalancing towards “growth,” suggesting that some industries may need protectionist measures like tariffs to catch up.
However, he fails to identify these specific industries, prompting criticism that the report lacks the concrete action plan needed to address the urgent challenges facing Europe’s competitiveness.
Meanwhile, Poland announced the successful dismantling of a cyber-espionage group linked to Belarus and Russia, highlighting ongoing security concerns within the EU.
First Piper 