Why has competitiveness become Europe’s top priority?
During last months, the word competitiveness has become one of the undisputed stars of the european debate. The Mario Draghi report, about the future of the European Union competitiveness has trace great part of the political and strategic conversation in Brussels, placing on the center of the diagnosis themes such as productivity, innovation, industry, energy, digitalisation, technological dependance, business scaling and capacity of transfoming knowledge into market.
This is no minor concern.Europe is facing an increasingly challenging global environment, marked by an increasingly competition with United States and China, a remarkable demographic pressure, high energy costs and the need to accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies. The productivity gap between European Union and United States has been expanded during last two decades, while China has re-inforced wuickly their industrial and tehcnological capacity.Added to this is Europe’s dependence on external technologies, raw materials and supply chains in sectors considered strategic. On this context, competitiveness is no longer perceived solely as an economic issue, but also as a matter of resilience and strategic autonomy. The European Commission appears to have accepted that sustaining its social, environmental and industrial model will depend largely on its ability to regain economic and innovative momentum.
However, while I was reading Draghi report about european competitivity, there was something that caught my attention: Food is scarcely recognised as a strategic area in its own right. And it’s rather curious. Not because food is no longerimportant for Europe. In fact, probably occurs just the opposite
Food is directly related with some huge challenges Europe is trying to address: public health, bioeconomy, supply chain resilience, strategic autonomy, ecological transition, biotechnological innovation or territorial development [1]. It´s difficult to find another sector capable of linking so directly to so many political, economic and social objectives at the same time. And yet, when we talk about european competitiveness, we rarely mention food. This is striking when we consider that the food and drink industry is the largest manufacturing industry in the European Union, accounting for over 4 million direct jobs and nearly 300,000 businesses, the majority of which are small and medium-sized enterprises. Its impact extends far beyond food production, influencing employment, exports, regional development and the economic cohesion of numerous European regions [2].
FOOD in Horizon Europe: a clearly defined priority
This observation is even more striking if we compare it with the actual Horizon Europe programme. Inside its Pilar II, food has a clear defined space through Cluster 6, dedicated to Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment. On this framework, FOOD does not appear either tangentially or implicitly. It has own identity, a recognised narrative and a joint of priorities clearly defined: food and nutritional security, sustainable food systems, bioeconomy, circular economy, digilisation or innovation based on biologic resources. In Horizon Europe. FOOD is visible
FP10 programme: more impact, competitiveness and strategic autonomy
However, when we see the first signs that are markig the design of FP10 Programme, the language seem to change. The Horizon Europe 2028-2034[3] proposal raises a bigger programme, more simple, quickest and focus on impact, with a expected budget of 175,000 million euros. But the concepts that dominate the debate It is no longer so much about food systems, nutrition or a sustainable bioeconomy, but rather about competitiveness, impact, roll-out, simplification, critical technologies, industrial leadership, strategic autonomy and market-driven innovation.
What is FP10 Programme?
The Framework Programme is the largest transnational initiative for funding science and innovation in Europe. FP10 will run from 2028 to 2034 and is currently in the design phase, with the budget being finalised and negotiations taking place between Member States. Designed to succeed Horizon Europe, it aims to boost R&D&I, strengthen technological sovereignty, enhance competitiveness against global powers and promote reindustrialisation.
Food gain cross-cutting…but loses visibility
Food remains a key issue, but it no longer necessarily appears under its own name. It features through biotechnology. Through the bioeconomy. Through the life sciences. Through resilience. Through industry. Through health. Through digitalisation. This may seem like a discussion of terminology, but it has very specific consequences. When a company develops new ingredients from by-products, incorporates artificial intelligence to optimise its processes, or uses biotechnology to create products with higher added value, it is not merely contributing to sustainability goals. It is developing technological, industrial and economic capabilities that Europe considers strategic for its future. And this is where a contradiction arises which, in my view, warrants some reflection.
Food is not losing its importance in Europe. It is becoming increasingly mainstream. But that is precisely why it runs the risk of losing visibility.
And visibility matters more than we are sometimes willing to acknowledge. European priorities are not shaped solely by budgets. They are also shaped by narratives. Narratives make it possible to mobilise investment, forge alliances, guide business strategies, attract talent and explain why a particular field deserves political attention. Everyone understands what artificial intelligence, semiconductors, defence, space and energy represent today. These are fields with a clear, easily identifiable and politically recognisable narrative.
“Food is not losing its importance in Europe. It´s becoming increasingly mainstream. That is why it runs the risk of losing visibility”
Food also builds european competitiveness
But, what is today the food narrative? Sustainability? Health? Bioeconomy? Biotechnology? Resilience? Competitiveness?
The answer is probably: all of them. And perhaps that is where both its strength and its main challenge lie. Because when a sector contributes to too many priorities, it runs the risk of being lost amongst them all. Food can be key to preventive healthcare, the bioeconomy, strategic autonomy, industrial competitiveness, resource utilisation, supply chain security and the green transition. But if it is spread across all these agendas, who recognises it as a strategic priority in its own right?
This is, perhaps, one of the most pertinent questions for the next phase of European policy. It is not a question of whether FOOD will continue to be important. It will be. But perhaps the issue is not simply whether it will remain recognisable. Perhaps the relevant question is another: is it managing to position itself within the new European priorities? Because whilst Horizon Europe was built around major social and environmental challenges, the first signs from FP10 point towards a narrative more closely linked to competitiveness, industrial capacity, technological leadership and strategic autonomy. And this raises an uncomfortable question. When Europe defines the strategic capabilities it needs to compete in 2040, will food feature on that list? Because European priorities are shifting. And perhaps the question FOOD must answer is not what problems it helps to solve, but what future it helps to build. At a time when Europe is seeking to boost its competitiveness and strategic autonomy, food cannot continue to be an invisible asset. We all have a role to play: as consumers, by valuing and choosing quality products; as businesses, by investing in innovation and development; as researchers, by generating useful knowledge; and as public decision-makers, by promoting policies that strengthen the sector. Every decision counts. Recognising the value of our regions, farmers, livestock breeders, industries, quality systems, etc. is also a way of building the future we want for Europe. Because food is not just part of our economy: it is part of our identity, our resilience and our ability to compete and prosper.
[1] EU competitive compass (2026) (https://commission.europa.eu/topics/competitiveness/competitiveness-compass_en?utm_source)
[2] FoodDrinkEurope – Data & Trends of the European Food and Drink Industry 2024 https://www.fooddrinkeurope.eu/resource/data-trends-of-the-european-food-and-drink-industry-2024/
[3] Horizon Europe 2028 – 2034: twice bigger, simpler, faster and more impactful (2025) (https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/news/all-research-and-innovation-news/horizon-europe-2028-2034-twice-bigger-simpler-faster-and-more-impactful-2025-07-16_en?utm_source)
More about food
- Food at the competitiveness of Europe: strategic, cross-cutting….and invisible? - 21 August 2026
- FUSILLI, much more than a project - 21 February 2025
- Towards a Food Revolution: UN Food System Summit + Stocktacking Moment - 25 August 2023