Op-ed: Europe's AI ambitions hinge on targeted investment

The European Commission's new €409 billion Competitiveness Fund signals a bold push for AI leadership. But spreading resources across all Member States risks achieving mediocrity across the board, argues our Senior Policy Researcher Nicole Lemke, PhD in The Parliament Magazine. Paris didn't become an AI hub by accident. It combined research excellence, institutional support, and strategic public investment to build an ecosystem where companies like Mistral can compete globally. Europe should learn from its own success stories and make targeted investments. That is, distribute the new fund politically to promote regional cohesion, or invest strategically in existing innovation hubs where the continent has the best chance of producing world-class breakthroughs.