The alarms are ringing

For some time now, especially in recent months, we've seen news reports indicating that we are entering a new phase of humankind's life on planet Earth. Alarm bells are ringing, indicating that not only had we not anticipated the changes we needed to make in the organization of coexistence, the economy, and politics to be prepared, but now we are also failing to make the urgent decisions to address them.

I don't want to make a comprehensive assessment—it's already being done in many places. I want to limit myself to expressing the importance I attach to the Letta and Draghi reports, to explaining how I believe the future of the European Union should be guided, and, above all, to discussing the role that information and the media can play in all this change.

1. Two key but pending reports. It's now been approximately a year since the publication of these two reports compiled by EU bodies. At the time, I found them to be of high quality and thought they were complementary and very useful as a basis for the policies to be implemented. They were welcomed by Brussels. But in recent weeks, I've read and heard from both authors their frustration at the slowness of implementing many of the recommendations contained therein, and I've been able to confirm their insufficient acceptance by many member state governments. Draghi speaks of "the gravity of the moment," which has worsened due to recent changes in the US, and Letta says the EU must now choose "between renewal or decline"; but at the same time, he sees it as a "formidable opportunity for relaunch" (some say it's "the last"), just as Jacques Delors seized on it a few decades ago. I believe it's necessary to repeat what was, a few decades ago, the creation of the single market and the single currency to now transform Europe into a true player in the global context.

2. What does it mean to relaunch and transform the EU? The world—which is transforming—has two major centers of economic and political power, the United States and China. They have distinct characteristics (federal unity, free market, natural resources, and technology, the former; autocracy, controlled market, natural resources, and technology, the latter). None of the 25 or 30 European states is in a position to aspire to become a third power, but all, or almost all, could play a very important role in the global context, as they account for a significant portion of the world's population and GDP, and also possess significant science and technology. It is clear that to achieve a significant position, whether in isolation or as a partner with another, no effort can be made regarding natural resources. Increasing the population is not very important, but having a unified political voice, a growing GDP, and, above all, technological leadership is essential. European policies must focus on these objectives: the joint role of all states must be increased, and powers that are currently too repetitive and poorly coordinated must be transferred to Brussels.

3. The role of information and the media. The great technological revolution in the field of digital information generation and distribution, such as the more recent explosion of generative AI, has made this generation's ability and ownership of new means of distribution one of the ways to direct the path of the economic and social future without citizens being sufficiently aware of it. We are entering a period in which people's decisions, both in their personal, economic, and social lives, as well as in their democratic participation, will be greatly affected by the information they receive and that guides their decisions. In recent weeks, we have seen the extent to which President Trump is attempting and succeeding in personally controlling the actions of individuals and organizations in this sector.

A significant part of the alarm bells ringing stem from the way the entire information sector is publicly organized, controlled, and regulated. It is clear that it is essential to analyze and, if necessary, review concepts such as the following: a) In the case of traditional media (press, radio, TV, etc.): differentiate between information and opinion, differentiate between whether they are public or private, and differentiate between whether they are free or regulated. b) In the case of social media: differentiate whether they are authorized, self-controlled, or free. c) In the case of generative AI: review the origin of the data, access to the algorithms, and the objectives of the applications.

Finally, regarding who will control the future of Europe, it will be necessary to clarify some concepts to adapt to the new situation: freedom of expression, patents, the right to rectification, the economic value of information, and ownership of knowledge.