Latest news and stories about competitiveness in europe in Portugal for expats and residents.
EU leaders are increasingly recognizing the need to address the competitiveness crisis, with calls for urgent political and economic action. While past analyses have highlighted the issue of slow growth, it has not been treated as an immediate emergency. Leaders like Costa advocate for a political boost, while Macron proposes a significant economic overhaul to stimulate growth.
The Draghi Report's ambitions force Europe to confront uncomfortable realities: it is falling significantly behind global competitors. The analysis argues that the ‘race’ has been underway for years and that closing the gap requires urgent, active policy choices — including structural reforms, targeted investment and a renewed focus on competitiveness across the single market.
Technological sovereignty, innovation and European competitiveness were some of the topics addressed by Francesca Bria, professor and innovation economist, at an Axians dinner in partnership with the Portuguese Association for the Development of Communications (APDC). Expresso joined as media partner.
Two years after Mario Draghi warned of the risk of European economic decline, recent data suggests he was right: the EU is expected to grow by only 1.4% in 2026, roughly half the pace of the US. However, some evidence indicates that behind this stagnation, there are shifts signaling changes in the future dynamics of the Eurozone economy. The European response includes stimulus programs like NextGenerationEU and a renewed focus on competitiveness. While the industrial landscape is shifting, with traditional sectors like automotive declining, there is growth in tech, batteries, and defence. For Portugal, while the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) has aided modernisation, the country must now focus on scaling companies, attracting venture capital, and defining a clear commercial strategy beyond the EU to compete in these emerging high-productivity sectors.
The Draghi Report on European competitiveness turned two years old on September 9th. According to a think tank that monitors the implementation of the proposals, cited by Alessandro Gropelli, Director General of Connect Europe, the assessment is very negative: 15.7% of recommendations have been implemented overall, and about 6% in the digital and technological domain. Specifically, in telecommunications, ...
António Costa uses a football metaphor to argue that Europe must have “champions” to boost the bloc's competitiveness. The President of the European Council argued that it is necessary to mobilise the talent of the 27 European nations. Sport was the formula used to convey the message that Europe needs to be...
Europe is losing two races at the same time. It is losing the industry of the past, such as steel, ceramics, and chemicals, and it is losing the industry of the future, the data centres that will train AI.
Europe does not need to scare away industry in the name of industry. It needs to create the conditions for producing in Europe to once again be a competitive advantage.
Europe is reinventing itself. Pressured by geoeconomic competition from the United States and China, the urgency of the climate transition, and security imperatives arising from instability on its eastern border, the European Commission presented, in mid-2025, a proposal that represents the most profound transformation of the community budget in recent decades.
Leaders had hoped to focus on the EU's long-term competitiveness problem. Instead, they're back to firefighting.
Leaders of the European Council reaffirmed their commitment to reforming the internal market during a retreat focused on competitiveness. Reducing energy prices is one of the priorities.
Leaders will meet on 12 February to discuss reducing the EU's dependencies in certain sectors, strengthening strategic autonomy and European competitiveness.
