Mario Draghi
Warning from the former president of the European Central Bank, who highlighted artificial intelligence, defense and energy infrastructures as decisive areas for European competitiveness and security.
The former president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghileft this Thursday, in Aachen, Germany, a stern warning about the future of Europe, arguing that the continent must act with greater speed and ambition to respond to an increasingly uncertain international context.
Upon receiving the International Charlemagne Prize, awarded to personalities who stand out for their contribution to European unity, Draghi stated, quoted by , that, “for the first time in our history”, in living memory, Europeans are “truly alone, but together”.
The declaration came in a speech marked by concern about Europe’s strategic dependence and the change in attitude of the United States, now “more hostile and unpredictable”.
According to Draghi, Washington “may fail to guarantee our security”, which worries him even more at a time when the European Union is facing weak growth, loss of competitiveness and a growing productivity gap in relation to the USA.
The former Italian prime minister returned to the center of the European political debate after presenting, in 2024, a plan to halt the bloc’s economic decline. Implementing the recommendations could now require an annual effort estimated at 1.2 trillion euros.
Before an audience that included German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, ECB President Christine Lagarde and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Draghi argued that all strategic dependencies must be reassessed. He highlighted artificial intelligence, defense and energy infrastructures as decisive areas for European competitiveness and security.
Draghi also criticized the slowness of the European Union’s decision-making processes, which, according to him, tend to “dilute and delay” responses until they fall short of what is necessary.
“Weak enforcement erodes legitimacy, and weak legitimacy makes enforcement even more difficult. We have to break this cycle,” he concluded.
