ROME (ITALPRESS) – “Europe must deeply reorient its collective efforts to close the innovation gap.” This was said by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, in his speech at the 17th COTEC Europe Symposium, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. “A demographic balance with fewer and fewer young people certainly constitutes a cause for alarm for the future: it is from the new generations that the drive for change and innovation comes, but while it is useful to put in place every possible corrective to reverse such an unbalanced trend, at the same time it is necessary to activate policies in the areas of education and research that address the problem of the technological gap,” the head of state added. “To remain competitive we need resources. First and foremost, funds for our educational systems – and in Italy there remains a significant education deficit in the area of Stem degrees – and for research, as well as arrangements that ensure the supply of raw materials essential for the production of new technologies,” Mattarella stressed. Sovereignty in the field of technology is nourished by these facts and cooperation, because the issue of internationalization of research and related investments, of the protection of the strategic value of certain areas is not indifferent.”Europe must push on the accelerator, implementing measures to promote its industrial capacity in high-tech sectors,” the president further said. “International dynamics have always been marked by new technologies,” and “technological supremacy is a relevant component in the relationship between states,” the head of state continued. “In this race, Europe must be able to compete on a level playing field, and the ability to give life to European ‘champions,’ an expression of shared sovereignty, is imposed in this sense. “For Mattarella, “technological sovereignty does not mean closure, entrenchment or protectionism, attitudes that would end up further weakening and marginalizing Europe, the states of the European Union. On the contrary, it is a yard in which to strengthen research, to boldly face the digital transition, seizing the advantages of artificial intelligence in the management of the epochal changes it produces. “The openness and capacity for inclusion inherent in international scientific cooperation are essential factors so that access to innovation does not remain the exclusive prerogative of a few countries, contributing to development and equitable and collective growth,” the head of state added.
– Quirinal press office photo –
(ITALPRESS).
