EU Commission announces plan to boost competitiveness

The von der Leyen II Commission has launched the Competitiveness Compass, emphasising initiatives (both new and existing) that will help the EU become more competitive. The highlights include:

• A European Research Area (ERA) Act, planned for Q3 2026, which will stimulate investments in research & innovation and facilitate the circulation of researchers and knowledge.

• A Competitiveness Fund, which will replace multiple existing EU financial instruments in the next EU budget, to boost investment in artificial intelligence, space, clean tech and biotechnologies. (However, this raises questions about the next R&I funding scheme as a stand-alone programme.)