Is Europe still in the technological race?
Overview
Since 2018, the technology race between the US and China has intensified and motivated the outbreak of a trade war which the change of US Administration did not put an end to. Europe has discovered its dependence on American technology and the Chinese market. What can be done to regain technological independence; and is it possible? The first question concerns the objective, i.e. the definition of the technologies that one wishes to master. The second question concerns the method: should we rely on the visible hand of the State, or should we encourage a proliferation of initiatives that will allow a few nuggets to appear? The third question concerns financing, the allocation of capital in an economy faced with technological shocks and, more generally, the question of collateral for borrowers whose growth is driven by intangible assets. The fourth question concerns European competition policy and its objectives. If Google were German or Italian, should it be dismantled? The last question is geostrategic. European partnerships, reaffirmed and strengthened by the new Commission, are not always considered relevant by the companies concerned. But should the systematic partnership with the United States always be privileged? What about traditional partnerships with the United Kingdom? Should we look further afield, this time towards Asia?