“Estamos perdiendo influencia geopolítica. Estamos perdiendo influencia en términos económicos y tecnológicos; y, como consecuencia, somos menos relevantes para nuestros ciudadanos, perdiendo competitividad y riqueza..”

[ .. ]

Es Felipe González quien habla de ese modo, en una entrevista que publica Financial Times:

“We are losing influence in the geopolitical sphere. We are losing influence in economic and technological terms, and as a result, we are also becoming less relevant to our citizens – by losing competitiveness and value,” Mr González said.

For Mr González, Europe’s loss of geopolitical influence, and its declining economic power, go hand in hand.

[ .. ]

“I began to worry about this during the conflict in the Balkans, when I discovered that 95 per cent of the intelligence Europe received, and which was necessary to conduct military operations on the ground, came from US satellites,” Mr González said. “This overdependence on US technology was alarming. It deepened my perception that Europe had become distracted and did not realise the importance of the technological revolution that was under way.” [ .. ]

“The Lisbon agenda identified the symptoms of Europe’s malaise – lower growth, loss of competitiveness, widening technology gap – but misdiagnosed the disease,” Mr González said.

[ .. ]

“Europe suffers from an extraordinary corporate rigidity,” he said. “And I am not only talking about the power of trade unions and labour rights. There is also enormous rigidity on the corporate side. You only have to compare the rankings of US and European companies now and 30 years ago. Most of the top US companies today were not around in the 1980s. There is a lot of mobility: it is a system that rewards risk, initiative and efficiency and allows companies to succeed as well as to fail.

Mr González said his committee would also tackle Europe’s acute dependence on energy imports. He forecast that member states would have to “reconsider” their position on nuclear energy. [Financial Times, 15 ene. 08. Rebel seeks innovators to shake up Europe].

En ese marco europeo, Financial Times teme España esté retrocediendo, y acusa a Zapatero de soberbia y arcaísmo inmovilista:

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spain’s prime minister, boasts that his country is wealthier than Italy. Overtaking France, he declares, is now a national goal. In the middle of a bitter election campaign, patriotic triumphalism is understandable. But Mr Zapatero could come to regret remarks that also appear hubristic. After three transforming decades, in which the Spanish economy has become a star European performer, it may be about to suffer the consequences of a credit-fuelled spending and property boom.

[ .. ]

It is no surprise, then, that political campaigning for the March elections has turned poisonous. In his defence, Mr Zapatero can point to the modest fiscal surplus his administration has run. This creates scope for limited tax cuts. But his record is far from convincing. Spain has been content to enjoy the benefits of cheap credit and strong European demand for its goods and services. Unlike France, it has not embarked on the structural reforms needed for longer lasting prosperity.

[ .. ]

Persistent weakness in productivity growth must be addressed too. Recent steps to expand Spain’s small technology base, promote entrepreneurship and bolster its ossified education system are positive. But universities need more independence. Allowing companies to opt out of collective wage deals would make the labour market more flexible. [Financial Times, 14 ene. 08. The pain of Spain].

● Europa retrocede. España, más… (2).
● La crisis inmobiliaria puede costarle el cargo a ZP.