The EU is the world's second-largest exporter, right behind China. It specializes in cars, heavy machinery, chemicals, and medicine—mature industries with limited growth. The USA leads in software and digital services. China is catching up. The EU barely participates.
This is the critical gap. Software and digital services scale globally with minimal friction. The EU has talent, infrastructure, and resources. What it lacks is the willingness to let entrepreneurs move fast and take risks.
The EU must decide: do we want to regulate the digital economy, or build it? Right now, it's choosing regulation. That's a defensive posture, not a growth strategy.
