Zaharieva: The fiercest battle right now is for talent

Europe has every opportunity to be a global leader in economic transformation and the AI revolution, but the fiercest battle right now is to attract and retain talent. This was stated by European Commissioner for Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva at the international forum iN Sofia 2025, organized by Economic.bg.

She emphasized that instead of complaining, we must work to create the best conditions for innovation. The continent has the finances, computing power, human and energy potential to meet the needs of AI.

The green transition: between ambition and pragmatism

Against the backdrop of polarised opinions on the green transition – ranging from criticism that it is ideological and does not take into account the practical needs of business to insistence on continuing along the same path without change – Zaharieva drew attention to some telling figures that emphasise that a balance can be achieved.

In 2023, 4% of employment growth in the EU will be due to clean technologies, and investments in clean energy have grown by 111% over the last decade. In 2024, they reached €335 billion and provided jobs for 1.8 million people in the Union," she said.

Simplification of regulations

The European Commission has already tabled seven legislative proposals, known as "omnibus," which aim to simplify the business environment, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. An eighth digital package, focused on artificial intelligence, is also in the pipeline.

Artificial intelligence is here. It will change everything," Zaharieva said, calling for us to embrace the opportunities that technology offers instead of fearing it.

She defended the European Artificial Intelligence Act, noting that the alternative would have been 27 different national regulations, which would have created chaos for businesses.

The battle for talent

The fiercest competition, the biggest battle is for talent," Zaharieva emphasized.

She explained that the competition is no longer so much about finance as it is about attracting and retaining talented specialists in Europe. According to her, Bulgaria has much to be proud of in this regard. An example of this is INSAIT, which attracts scientists from Europe and around the world.

The European campaign "EU for Talent" is already showing good results. Interest in working in the field of science and innovation in Europe has increased fivefold, Zaharieva emphasized. A record 17,058 applications have been submitted under the program, which pays salaries to young scientists.

European investment in science is also visible through the Horizon Europe program, which is the world's largest program for science and innovation, with a budget of nearly €100 billion. For the next programming period, the Commission is proposing a separate program with €185 billion. In addition, the first ever EU strategy for start-ups and growing companies is being developed to support start-ups. A new regime is to be introduced – a single registration scheme that will enable companies to do business quickly, digitally and cheaply throughout the EU.

The European Innovation Act will include preferences in public procurement for technologies developed in Europe – a little European patriotism," Zaharieva commented.

Translated with DeepL.