The report on “The Future of European Competitiveness”, presented last week by Mario Draghi, could end up being one more of those documents, so ambitious because uselessthat come out of the Community bureaucracy. But because of the technical and political stature of its author, the timing of its publication and the precise diagnosis of the problems that are hampering economic growth in Europe, it would be worth reading. It wouldn’t end up tucked away in a drawer.
And Draghi avoided being harsh with the disqualifications ad hominem, but the policies and ideologies that have been particularly harmful for economic performance in Europe. In fact, we see that, in order to please everyone, it introduces some good things and fillers (such as new European plans and funds generated by the common debt) that do not correspond much to the rest of the conclusions and solutions of the report, and that, nevertheless, they will allow many to say things like “you see, I already said that” or “of course, this is the solution we have always proposed”.
The media battalion and the Moncloa Propaganda Brigadeand they will try to convince us that the study is a blow to their policy. Come on, the same thing they did, Bolaños in the lead, with the opinion of the Venice Commission on the amnesty law.
But the reality is quite different. The report stresses that by going too far, for reasons that are more ideological than pragmatic, in the model of the social, ecological and interventionist State, Europe has fallen out of the race for economic leadership world. This is reflected in the three proposed lines of action to revive growth: reducing taxes and regulations and promoting private initiative to fill the innovation gap with the United States and China; a more cost-effective and less ideological plan for decarbonization and energy competitiveness; and strengthening security by reducing dependence on third parties for the production of electricity and obtain raw materials.
The indication of the progressive ideologies and orientations (as socialists and neo-communists like to call themselves) as the main inspirers of the erroneous development model. Even if it turns out a little unusual that the European Commission, and in particular its President Von der Leyen, who was too permeable with progressive political correctness and the postulates of the most radical environmentalism.
From a more local point of view, what in Europe was a tragedy in Spain was a tragedy. We are the community country that has had the least growth in the last twenty years and let’s not forget that the first eight were led by Rodríguez Zapatero and that we have had the most socialist/communist government for six years. and the most radical in Europe; and, as Draghi shows, this is where all the evils come from.
Concretely, as regards the three specific areas of the report, in our country practically all measures have been taken in the wrong direction: increase professional and tax expenses (with the creation of some specific to key sectors); regulations impossible for many economic activities (from the primary sector to new technologies, including what they are announcing today to limit freedom of information); closing nuclear power plants, reducing hydroelectric power plants (reservoirs and cascades are removed) and forming a dilapidated electricity production network, with the oversized installation of photovoltaic and wind power plants with a high environmental impact and which will already be old and useless for our children; limitation of extraction capacity raw materials (with the closure of uranium and lithium mines in Salamanca and Extremadura) or the disproportionate increase in purchase of Russian gas.
And it’s not fixed Pedro Sanchez by sowing disorder in our country, but in Europe they have begun to follow the same movement. Given in to his Apollonian figure and the need for the European Socialist Group to support his re-election, Von der Leyen allowed the radical minister Ribera to impose ruinous environmental projects (among them the war against nuclear weapons or the car ban with fossil fuels) which slow down growth, make energy more expensive and increase the dependency, insecurity and vulnerability of the European economy.
Draghi was very clear when presenting his report: “Either Europe changes course and takes action, or it will compromise its well-being and its freedom”. However, he leaves a certain window of hope open and underlines that the loss of competitiveness may not be irreversible; that is, if the socialist recipes are abandoned and if we stop competing with the Chinese, the Americans and the emerging powers with one hand behind our back.
