How Europe’s Leaders Are Handling Digital Power Games
The new Digital Engagement Report was released by the European Center for Digital Competitiveness. It gives a snapshot of how much the Heads of State and Government in Europe are actually practising digital leadership.
What the Report Is All About
- Highlights the role of top leaders in speeding up their countries’ digital transformation.
- Looks at the specific tech topics—5G, AI, blockchain, robotics, and more—each leader is paying attention to.
Three Key Findings
- Big Gap. Estonia, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are the digital champions, while Poland, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovenia lag behind.
- Uneven Focus. Leaders in different countries concentrate on different things; for example, Germany’s Jüri Ratas devotes 5‑fold more time to these topics than Marjan Sarec of Slovenia or Victor Orbán of Hungary.
- Missing the Future. Most leaders ignore cutting‑edge tech like quantum computing and robotics.
Why Europe Needs a Cohesive Digital Blueprint
Professor Philip Meissner warns, “digitization remains disjointed across Europe.” He stresses that a unified strategy will be crucial for the continent’s future economic dominance and geopolitical influence.
In short, it’s time for a grand digital playbook that brings together entrepreneurship, digital education, and tech priorities from the top.
Individual Leader Profiles
| Leader | Primary Focus |
|---|---|
| Ana (Angela Merkel) | Digital infrastructure, missing entrepreneurship |
| Elena (Emmanuel Macron) | AI & entrepreneurship front‑and‑centre |
European Actions Required
Dr. Christian Poensgen adds, “we’re staring at a rapidly moving tech race. To keep Europe in the lead, we need orders of magnitude investments in tomorrow’s tech.”
About the Digital Engagement Index
The index, underpinning the report, captures every public interaction a leader has regarding digitalisation in 2019. It pulls data from government releases, press briefings, tweets and more, categorising them by event type and tech topic.
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