The EuroStack

Europe is losing grip on the future. Or, more precisely: It is losing its grip on the means of the future.

Confronted with conflicting scenarios for global transformation stemming essentially from the U.S. and China, it has failed so far to develop a bold, radical strategy for its own technological and digital development. In this powerful essay, Francesca Bria, the force behind the EuroStack Initiative, calls for an ambitious, integrated strategy for building the digital equipment of Europe and the industrial, communication, and resources infrastructure without which this would be no more than an empty dream.

From securing the supply of materials to fostering needed top-level scientists, from developing chip factories to sustaining energy providers, Europe will not have a say in the future if it does not regain a form of sovereignty in what has become our dominant ecology of thought and action: the internet.

Francesca Bria is an economist and expert in digital policy. She is the architect of the open-source, revolutionary rewiring of the city of Barcelona and was adviser to the European Commission. She now serves as president of the Innovation Agency of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, among other duties. She is an honorary professor in technology and innovation policy at University College London.