Dublin, Nov 14 (IANS) European Union (EU) leaders concluded an informal meeting in Dublin, calling for greater investment and stronger cooperation to boost Europe’s competitiveness in artificial intelligence (AI). They also agreed on a European team to participate in negotiations aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict.
Hosted by Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin on Friday (local time), the meeting marked the first in-depth discussion among EU leaders on AI, focusing on technological development, economic competitiveness and the wider risks posed by the rapidly evolving technology.
European Council President Antonio Costa said Europe needed to accelerate AI adoption, reduce critical dependencies and mobilise more public and private investment to strengthen its technological capabilities, reports Xinhua news agency.
He said the EU’s next long-term budget, particularly the proposed European Competitiveness Fund, would play a decisive role in supporting these efforts.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe was planning seven AI gigafactories, with around 30 billion euros (33.07 billion US dollars) expected to be mobilised to develop the computing infrastructure to advance AI models.
She estimated that Europe would need at least 500 billion euros (551.10 billion dollars) in investment to advance its broader technological sovereignty ambitions, adding that she would put forward an ambitious financing proposal at the next meeting.
French President Emmanuel Macron said that he and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten would host a meeting of European technology leaders, known as “Tech Creators,” in Paris on December 2 to strengthen cooperation and boost Europe’s technological independence.
In a post on social media platform X, Macron called for greater investment and faster decision-making, saying European AI companies should have access to computing power, capital and customers within Europe.
The Dublin discussions also addressed AI safety and its impact on society. Costa stressed the importance of supervision and international cooperation on AI governance, saying the EU would revisit the issue in February 2027 and make AI’s impact on society a central theme of its 2027 Social Summit.
The Ukraine conflict was another focus of the summit amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a peace agreement.
On Friday afternoon, Costa said EU institutions and five European countries from the Coalition of the Willing – Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Poland (E5) – would form a negotiation team representing Europe. He stressed that Europe must speak with “one clear and united voice” in Ukraine peace talks.
Von der Leyen welcomed the announcement, saying the European team would include the European Council, the European Commission and the E5.
On further assistance to Ukraine, Costa said EU leaders would discuss the country’s financing needs for next year and beyond at the upcoming European Council meeting on November 26 and 27.
Von der Leyen said the Commission would also propose its 22nd package of sanctions against Russia and a plan to address Ukraine’s financing gap for 2027 before the meeting.
Friday’s meeting followed the ninth European Political Community summit in Dublin on Thursday, where leaders from across Europe discussed regional security, economic competitiveness and efforts to end the Ukraine conflict.
–IANS
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