A federal and industrial Europe

For several months now, almost all the news and commentary we receive through the media has been unpleasant and worrying. I don't want to exaggerate this view, as we also receive some pleasant and hopeful reports; but I can't forget that we have serious problems here and around the world, and what's worse, a great deal of disorientation affecting both individuals and political and economic institutions.

I have recently had the opportunity to meet or share a meal with people in positions of high responsibility. In virtually every case, I have found a strong desire to act for the good of the citizens, but with great difficulty in doing so due to a lack of understanding of the future. It is no wonder that this generates distrust in governments and a dangerous rise of the extreme right and left everywhere.

I would like to make a brief comment on the three themes in the title, which I have always considered very important, and which I believe will continue to be so. This concern is surely due to my previous work with the European Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Energy, and Catalan radio and television.

1. European Union.It is no exaggeration to think that the EU is in crisis due to both external and internal causes, and that Europe's role in the world will change drastically if urgent decisions are not made. There are very clear external causes of a geopolitical nature: the way in which we have experienced the relationship between Western European countries and the US throughout the second half of the 20th century. And the remarkable development of China, in the technological, economic, and political spheres, is transforming it into a new center: it is largely shifting to Asia and the Pacific what was once the domain of Europe and the Atlantic; it is leaving Russia in a rather difficult position, and it is forcing European countries to accept the transition to a new model.

To prevent all European countries from being marginalized from global politics, they must build a cohesive whole. We all have sufficient population and economic GDP to play a role in the world, but we lack political unity. My idea is that we must stop being a collection of "countries bound by treaty" and become a federation, probably with some features distinct from the current federal states. Some of the current states may not want to federate, but that shouldn't stop us from doing so. I think they will be the ones who lose out. As I often hear, Europe must choose between unity and irrelevance.

2. The new industry. Over the last two centuries, a portion of humanity has experienced a remarkable industrial era, thanks to technology, the exploitation of mineral resources, and the availability of vast quantities of fossil fuels. These factors have led to significant increases in productivity and have generated considerable progress and prosperity, but they have also created significant inequalities and pushed the planet's capacity to support more people to its limits. Now, so-called "new technologies" are increasing the ease of movement, both of people and of goods and intangible assets. We must learn to reorganize our system of life and consumption, both in terms of natural resources and the energy we need. Therefore, in Europe, we must discuss reindustrialization based on the increased use of technology, higher productivity, reuse and shared use, and the use of clean energy sources. We need to talk not about a "post-industrial" stage, but about a "new industry" with these objectives.

3. The dangers in information. The emergence and rapid spread of new information technologies, and more recently AI, have led to an extraordinary increase in human capacity for creating, distributing, and using information. The positive aspects are self-evident, but it is essential to remember the negative aspects related to the ease of generating all kinds of false information. It is also necessary to remember the danger of distribution aimed at achieving specific results, given that people make decisions based on the knowledge and information they receive. This is dangerous in personal, economic, and political spheres.

Therefore, it is essential that the EU establish regulations aimed at preventing these effects to protect its citizens. At the same time, it must be firm in demanding that other member states also have regulations in this regard. Freedom of expression has limits, and the falsification of reality cannot be accepted. Mechanisms are needed to analyze the accuracy of what is distributed.