Europe’s Future Lies in the Hands of Its Regions

In Florence, at the European University Institute, together with representatives of 200 regions, we explored how to shape our future based on our own resources.

Above Florence, within the walls of a medieval abbey, stands the European University Institute. Here, representatives of two hundred European regions gathered for two days to discuss how we can plan our future—not by following recipes received from elsewhere, but by building on our own knowledge, resources, and communities.

During the meeting, experts from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) delivered a clear message: neither China nor the United States possesses what is Europe’s true competitive advantage—the capacity for place-based innovation.

This means that the key to development is not a centrally imposed model, but each region’s ability to recognize and mobilize its own strengths.

The real question is not whether we wait for central decisions, but whether we make full use of the opportunities we already have.

We have a choice:

– to settle for the crumbs that fall from the table;

– or to knead the bread ourselves and cut from it as much as we wish.

The future is not shaped solely by decisions taken at the center; it is built where we live and work. Responsibility is shared: local knowledge, entrepreneurial initiative, community cooperation, and innovation can provide the foundation for sustainable development.

The meeting in Florence confirmed that a Europe of regions is not a theory, but a tangible opportunity. If we seize it, we can become not only beneficiaries, but active shapers of Europe’s future.