References on Competitiveness

This part of the Draghi Report sets out a comprehensive competitiveness strategy for Europe, calling for urgent, large‑scale action to ensure the EU remains prosperous and resilient in the face of global competition. Draghi argues that Europe must rethink its economic model, combining market integration with strategic public investment and regulatory modernization.
The strategy emphasizes three overarching priorities:

• Unlocking Europe’s productive potential by completing the Single Market, reducing internal barriers, and enabling companies to scale up more easily.
• Accelerating green and digital transitions, investing in clean energy, advanced technologies, and innovation ecosystems to drive sustainable growth.
• Strengthening Europe’s capacity to act, with more coordinated industrial policies, deeper capital markets, and tools that allow Member States to mobilize and pool resources effectively.

Throughout, the document stresses that competitiveness is not purely economic; it must also reflect Europe’s values—social inclusion, environmental responsibility, and strategic autonomy—ensuring that growth is both sustainable and widely shared.

Reference: Draghi, M. (2024). The Future of European Competitiveness—A Competitiveness Strategy for Europe. Accessible at https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/draghi-report_en#paragraph_47059

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The Draghi Report (2024) offers a broad strategic vision for how the European Union can strengthen its competitiveness in a rapidly changing global economy. Mario Draghi and his team of experts argue that Europe must urgently raise productivity, stimulate investment, and deepen integration if it is to secure sustainable prosperity.
The report highlights that Europe is facing structural challenges—from demographic pressures and energy costs to fragmented capital markets and slower innovation uptake, while competing with major global players such as the US and China. To address these, Draghi proposes a new European competitiveness agenda, built around three main pillars:

• Invest massively and smartly in green and digital transitions, infrastructure, and key technologies.
• Complete and modernize the Single Market, reducing regulatory fragmentation and unlocking scale effects for businesses.
• Strengthen economic and industrial policy coordination, including reforming fiscal rules and creating tools to mobilize private and public investment across the EU.

Beyond economic measures, the report also underlines the importance of skills, research excellence, and technological leadership, insisting that Europe’s competitiveness must align with its values—sustainability, social cohesion, and strategic autonomy.

Reference: Draghi, M. (2024). The Future of European Competitiveness—In-depth analysis and recommendations. Accessible at https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/draghi-report_en#paragraph_47059.

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The Heitor Report is a strategic document commissioned by the European Commission to examine how research, technology, and innovation (RTI) can drive Europe’s long‑term competitiveness and prosperity. It argues that Europe faces a decisive moment: global technological competition, climate imperatives, and demographic shifts demand coordinated and accelerated investment in knowledge and innovation.

The report calls on the EU and its Member States to align policies, act collectively, and accelerate implementation in three key areas:

• Building critical technological capabilities (in digital, green, and deep‑tech fields) through stronger research ecosystems and industrial partnerships.
• Scaling up investment in R&D and fostering an innovation culture that attracts talent, reduces fragmentation, and translates research into marketable solutions.
• Creating a supportive policy and regulatory environment to ensure Europe can lead in emerging sectors while safeguarding strategic autonomy.

Importantly, the report stresses that Europe’s competitiveness is not only about economic growth but also about sustainability, inclusiveness, and resilience, positioning RTI as a cornerstone for achieving the EU Green Deal and digital transition.


Reference: European Commission, & Heitor, M. (Ed.). (2024). Align, act, accelerate: Research, technology and innovation to boost European competitiveness. Publications Office of the European Union. Available at: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/038252

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