European Tech CEOs urge urgent action to boost digital and AI competitiveness

By:  Nana Appiah Acquaye

A group of leading European technology executives has issued a call for urgent, coordinated action to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness in digital technologies and artificial intelligence, warning that the region risks falling behind without decisive reforms.

The appeal was made in a joint op-ed signed by senior executives including Börje Ekholm of Ericsson, Guillaume Faury of Airbus, Christophe Fouquet of ASML, Arthur Mensch of Mistral AI, Justin Hotard of Nokia, Christian Klein of SAP, and Roland Busch of Siemens.

The executives emphasized that the next phase of global innovation will be driven by the real-world application of digital capabilities across industries and infrastructure, and called for stronger, market-driven policy support to achieve Europe’s strategic objectives.

They highlighted regulatory complexity as a major barrier to innovation, noting that overlapping and restrictive rules are slowing the pace of technological development. The group urged policymakers to prioritise innovation ahead of regulation and to support the development and deployment of advanced technologies to maintain leadership in global standards.

The op-ed also stressed the importance of building strategic resilience through ownership and development of intellectual property, rather than reliance on external technologies. It called for reforms to competition and merger frameworks to enable consolidation and scale, as well as measures to unlock private investment through initiatives such as the Savings and Investments Union.

The call to action follows a meeting between the executives and Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels, where discussions focused on strengthening Europe’s digital and industrial base.

The executives warned that Europe is losing competitiveness and that decisions taken in the coming years will determine its ability to compete globally. They pointed to recent policy discussions, including the Draghi and Letta reports, as evidence of growing recognition that reforms are needed to adapt to rapid technological and geopolitical changes.

Collectively, the companies represented generate more than €417 billion in annual revenue, employ nearly one million people globally, invest over €40 billion in research and development each year, and hold more than 210,000 patents.

The group said it stands ready to work with policymakers to translate ambition into action, calling for bold and immediate steps to secure Europe’s position in the global digital economy.