A long-awaited report on how to rescue Europe's economy from weak growth and red tape is in. The question is, how many of its recommendations will actually be enacted by the drawn-out decision-making process of the European Union?
The report stands out from other recipes for improvement because the project was headed by Mario Draghi, the former head of the European Central Bank who also served as Italy's prime minister in 2021-22.
Draghi is regarded as having saved the euro currency union with his 2012 promise that the ECB would do "whatever it takes" to save the shared currency from the debt and financial crisis then engulfing it.
Now the EU and its 440 million people are facing a persistent and growing growth gap with the US, the report says. Last year the EU economy grew 0.4% compared with 2.5% in the U.S.
Europe is also struggling with three areas where it has become dependent on outsiders: Russia for energy , China for growth and trade , and the U.S. for defense . All three are now disrupted or in question. Draghi says the EU and its 27 member governments have to work better together to develop their own capacities.
