Negrescu: Europe risks losing the race for competitiveness

„Without specialists, without digital skills, without education adapted to new realities, the technological and digital transition will remain just plans on paper. How many of us have training in artificial intelligence or emergency response? In Romania and Bulgaria, less than a third of the population has basic digital skills. Many regions remain excluded from these processes,” Negrescu added.

He called for:

– a more inclusive Erasmus 2.0, accessible to young people without higher education and to less developed regions

– allocating 20% of the next long-term EU budget to education and training

– launching a regional initiative for education and innovation in Central and Eastern Europe

„I shared these ideas at the Green Transition Forum 5.0 in Sofia, opened by former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta. I was pleased to be on the same panel as my colleague, European Commissioner Roxana Mînzatu. Thanks to former PES leader Sergei Stanishev for the invitation! As chief negotiator of the EU 2025 budget, we secured an additional €422 million for Erasmus+, launched pilot projects worth €90 million in education, health, digitalization, and entrepreneurship, and proposed increased funding for digital education and AI training, especially in rural or remote areas. Europe needs less red tape and more courage. If we want to be ready for the future, we need to prepare the people who will build it. Without investing in skills, we cannot talk about a competitive Europe,” the MEP concluded.