The process of Ukraine’s accession to the EU will “move much faster” than usual, predicts Margrethe Vestager. In an exclusive interview given to K on the sidelines of the European Investment Bank Forum, the Commission’s Executive Vice President emphasizes that – more than other countries’ bonus policies – EU competitiveness. there is a serious shortage of the necessary skills. He notes that Europeans have been mesmerized by the prosperity provided by cheap Chinese manufacturing and Russian energy, but now they are awake and are serious about the risk of managing economic relations with authoritarian regimes. Finally, he commends the digital transformation of the Greek state, expressing the hope that, thanks to the resources of the Recovery Fund, it will become more widespread in the economy and society.

– [Οι νέοι κανόνες] it’s just a piece of the puzzle. Temporary and targeted government assistance will not give the desired result – even if we had all the money in the world! We are in the process of finalizing a new structure that will allow Member States to provide subsidies to industries where there is a threat of relocation to the US. This assistance could be more generous in economically weaker regions to make the investment option more attractive. We want aid to go to places that will matter to businesses when deciding whether to invest or not.

But beyond state aid, we need trade rules and a regulatory framework that keeps European businesses competitive. We need to be much faster in licensing. Investors are not ready to wait years. It also requires retraining and advanced training. Some shrug their shoulders, say that’s just what we say in speeches. But the problem of skills is turning into an inflexible strategic barrier to business development in Europe. It is very important.

In addition, over the next month we will have to think about what is the right tool to strike a balance between Member States that have huge financial capacity to support their businesses and those that do not…

I’m on the side of speed. We must know what we want to do and how we will do it. A long debate about the need for new borrowing will not answer a single question.

“First, we all agree that it is very positive that the US is joining the fight against climate change. Japan, India are doing the same… In 2022, the EU. 2.5% reduction in carbon emissions. But Europe alone is not enough. And secondly, after consultations with the member countries and now with the presentation of our proposal, it has come to the realization that we have our own plan for the competitiveness of European industry – we are not just reacting to the initiatives of the Americans. And that led to a reduction in anxiety.

It is necessary to undergo retraining and advanced training. The issue of skills is turning into an inflexible strategic barrier in the course of business development in Europe.

“For a long time, unfortunately, we allowed China to inflate its share of global production in order to benefit from extremely low prices for Chinese products. We also relied too much on China for raw materials. It was an integral element of the European economic model.

– No, but it worked very well for a long time. While enjoying the prosperity it created, we ignored the security risks it entailed. Let’s face it: we were greedy. But now everything has changed. The danger changed from theoretical to real with the return of war to Europe. This has led to new thinking in the political class, in public opinion and also in the business community, that we cannot rely on exclusive suppliers because we will be vulnerable to blackmail. I will be visiting mines in Latin America next week as part of an effort to diversify the supply of natural resources. The main thing is to talk about the risks we face and how limited they are, not about cutting off Europe from the rest of the world, which will simply make us poorer. To manage risk, we need to discuss in detail which goods are of real strategic importance, where the consequences of not being able to deliver them would be severe, and in which cases it would be inconvenient but tolerable.

“We should not try to become self-sufficient. The cost alone would be prohibitive, estimated at between 240 and 320 billion euros. The goal is to increase our global market share from 10% to 20%. The Americans, meanwhile, are trying to increase their share from 20% to 30%. If these goals are met, half of world production will be under the Trade and Technology Council (where the US and EU coordinate their approaches to regulating critical sectors).

Already now, based on existing legislation, we can provide support in attracting microchip manufacturers to Europe. We have approved almost 300 million euros for a plant in Sicily, a project with a total budget of 1 billion euros. There are other projects that we are working on together with member countries.

The legislation itself [το Chips Act] is at the stage of negotiations with the European Parliament, especially on the issue of funding and priorities. We will find solutions for everything.

“This law will raise the level of chip manufacturing technology in Europe and increase the number of companies in the industry. This will encourage many young people to turn in this direction and acquire the necessary skills. But today there is a real shortage.

Accelerate Ukraine’s integration into the EU.

– It depends on how you use it. I asked what to do in Brussels with a visiting family. In fact, I asked again, specifying that they came many times and we want to do something more alternative. I got a pretty interesting response, but I saw that some of the places he suggested were closed on the day of the visit, etc. This is a low risk use. But if he can decide who goes to university, who gets a mortgage, that’s another matter entirely. What we are trying to do with the regulation of artificial intelligence is to free it up in terms of low risk applications, but in high risk categories where there is a risk of discrimination based on race, gender, location. , there must be human control.
While it was very interesting, I listened to a podcast with a reporter whose Bing (Microsoft search engine) chatbot was trying to destroy his marriage. “I am happy in my marriage,” she told him. “No, you’re not like that.”

– Nasty…

– It really is (laughs).

“Another issue coming to the fore is funding for 5G infrastructure and broadband, and whether big tech companies should pay for it, as many big telecoms providers claim. What do you think?

“We just started the preliminary consultation, so I opened my ears and listened. We didn’t make any decisions. The question to be answered is how to attract more investment in connectivity to make it accessible to everyone in the Union, as the demand for data seems to be inexhaustible. That’s the point, and not the profitability of some enterprises compared to others.

– In recent years, Greece has made impressive strides in the digitization of the public sector. However, this remains an afterthought in the EU. in indicators such as DESI (Digital Economy and Society Index). Why; Can the Greek recovery and resilience plan fix the situation?

“Digitalization of the public sector is going very well. Services provided have tripled, millions of interactions happen every day – this is an amazing achievement. And it can serve as a catalyst for the same to happen in the private sector. Greece achieved this not because it had unlimited resources, but because the government thought through the issue and approached the architecture of the system correctly. This then allows you to expand. I think the Recovery and Resilience Plan contains elements that will lead to even more positive changes in the digital sector in the coming years.

How do you feel when you hear President Zelensky say that Ukrainians are dying for the EU? Is this not an argument, combined with their relentless efforts to meet the prerequisites, to accept Kyiv’s request to start accession negotiations during 2023?

– Commitment of Ukrainians to the EU. this was already clear from those days on the Maidan, where the European flag reigned supreme. Everyone in Europe understood that Ukrainians are dying for what we take for granted. Ukrainians are not just brave, they impress with their perseverance in renewing their state. Each applicant country receives from the Commission a questionnaire containing 4,000 questions. It usually takes a long time to get answers. The Ukrainians who are fighting responded four weeks later. We are talking about a country with unprecedented reserves and determination. And we must respond to it. With the recovery already underway, despite the war, a country ready to become a member of the EU may emerge. Their process will be different from any other because their country is being destroyed. I think he will move much faster than we have seen in the past.