The PromethEUs network of think tanks, consisting of Elcano Royal Institute (Spain), I-Com the Institute for Competitiveness (Italy), LIEE the Laboratory of Industrial and Energy Economics (Greece) and IPP Institute of Public Policy – Lisbon (Portugal) is proud to announce its latest joint publication “Simplify to Compete: Rethinking EU Regulation for a Digital Future”.
The publication was presented on the 2nd of July at the European Parliament to policymakers, industry leaders and academics participating in the event. The publication’s core themes are simplification and investment in the digital realm (AI, quantum technology and semiconductors), with a special emphasis on southern European perspective.
The publication is structured in four chapters and comprehends executive summaries for each of them.
Chapter 1 focuses on simplification efforts, discussing the European strategy – especially with the Omnibus package – and risks such as that of asymmetric regulation. The analysis also stresses the ongoing debate between simplification and deregulation, underscoring the tension between reducing burdens on businesses and maintaining EU’s high standards in key areas such as sustainability and data protection.
Chapter 2 presents a comprehensive analysis of the Portuguese Simplex programme, which offers numerous insights that can be applied in the European context, especially for the implementation of the 28th legal regime. Ensuring its success requires balancing legal clarity with administrative flexibility and aligning ambition with accountability and fostering parsimony in regulatory design.
Chapter 3 provides an overview of the current investment landscape in the field of AI. In particular, the discrepancy between northern and southern countries in attracting private investment is underlined. Several solutions are proposed, such as making clusters a key policy priority and distinguishing more clearly between research-driven and market-driven objectives.
Chapter 4 focuses on semiconductors and quantum technologies. In particular, it emphasises the need for a cohesive framework to accelerate industrial scaling and commercialization, while mitigating the risks associated with vulnerabilities in the global supply chain. Finally, the chapter highlights the importance of robust public–private partnerships, unified regulatory frameworks and targeted funding through various channels in order to transform laboratory breakthroughs into production-ready technologies.
Read more – with conclusions and policy recommendation – by downloading the publication below.