What prevents action to reverse Europe’s competitiveness decline?

In this episode of Future is Blue, Carlos Carnicero speaks with economist Luis Garicano, Executive Director of the newly launched Rhine Group, and Raymond Torres, Director of Funcas Europe, about why Europe is struggling to turn a widely shared diagnosis of its competitiveness problems into meaningful reform. They discuss the political and institutional barriers to action, whether smaller groups of countries may need to move ahead when agreement among all 27 is impossible, and why completing the Single Market remains critical for investment and for helping European companies scale. The conversation also explores how Europe can mobilise more of its abundant private savings, the need for visible “quick wins”, and the growing urgency of closing the gap in artificial intelligence. At the end of the episode, Garicano also highlights his new book, Messy Jobs: The Work That AI Cannot Reach, co-authored with Jin Li and Yanhui Wu, which examines how AI is reshaping jobs, organisations and the labour market.