ver the past few weeks, the administration of United States President Donald Trump has delivered a series of devastating blows to Europe’s remaining illusions about America’s enduring support.
Vice President JD Vance’s confrontational speeches at the Paris AI Summit and the Munich Security Conference set the tone, followed by Trump’s executive order directing his administration to retaliate against foreign efforts to regulate US tech companies.
But it was only after the Oval Office confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that European leaders finally got the message: They are on their own.
This shock therapy may be just what Europe needs to heed former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s desperate plea to the European Parliament: “Do something!”
Though long overdue, the European Union still has time to get its act together and implement bold industrial policies. By leveraging its manufacturing strength and repurposing its robust aviation, machinery, clean tech, shipbuilding and steel industries, Europe can gear up for a quasi-war effort while shielding itself from a second “China Shock”.
Responding to major pressure, Europe’s digital sector is also beginning to mobilize. Until now, the EU has focused almost exclusively on regulating apps and services. But this has not created the conditions for European industry to compete and thrive.
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Across every layer of the digital supply chain, from hardware to software to intermediation, Europe has increasingly become a colony. Over 80 percent of its digital technologies are imported, and most of its digital infrastructure is now owned by non-European, primarily American, companies.