Working Paper: A Digital Renaissance in Europe

This is the 2nd milestone report of our 2023/24 Charlemagne Prize Academy Fellow, Elena Bascone, in which she explains why new technologies are a historical opportunity for European leaders.

Abstract

If the 1990s could be the end of history, where does history start? From a Western point of view, probably in Greece or Ancient Rome. However, there is a second start of history called the “Renaissance,” or in Italian, “Rinascimento,” meaning “rebirth.”

As the home of the Renaissance, Europe should be seen not as the place for regulation but rather for collaboration. Staying true to its humanistic values, European can and should welcome both policymakers and business people. Moreover, European leaders should work on finding the point of convergence between the different perspectives of these two, which is always the people: whether they are seen as consumers (from a business perspective) or as citizens (from a political perspective).

This is the core idea also behind the “Collaboration function”, which is reviewed at the point 2.2. Before, this paper addresses the vital question of why European policymakers should be interested in new technologies in general and especially the metaverse. The reasons why are summarized in the policy side of the “Consortiums model”: 1. There has been a leap in technological advancement after the pandemic, which has made the urge for inclusive health and accessible education even greater and new technologies have proved to be key in solving such issues. There is a need for a long-term vision, which the public sector can more easily provide thanks to its neutrality and the ability to facilitate the access to only to funding, but also to capital.

The paper also references the previous paper, “From the Universe to the Metaverse,” which specifically addressed businesses and indicated why they should invest in Europe. Paragraph “4. From the metaverse to the universe” compares the space sector in Europe, where there is already the European Space Agency (ESA) as a central authority, with the extended reality (XR), which is still on the rise. Paragraph 4.2 contains a contribution from Luca del Monte, Head of the Commercialization Department at the European Space Agency (ESA).

The results of this and the previous paper are included in the full version of the “Consortiums Model,” to be found in the appendix at point 5.2. However, they are inserted in a final call to action to European leaders expressed at point 4.2, which is titled “The end of history and the discovery of unexplored territories: Falling walls lead to new opportunities”. This and the previous policy report published by the Karlspreis, are complementary works that can be read separately or together: the first addresses the private sector, and the second is policymakers. Both include the model and the function, which are looked at from two different perspectives but also a reference to the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the start of a new era in 1990.

With this second report, the series ends. However, there will be a follow-up policy brief titled “From the US to Europe: Collaboration is Key for the Metaverse to Succeed”. It will deal with the geopolitical impacts of the rise of new technologies, which are still often seen as unexplored territories. The Renaissance was also a moment of discovery of new places, like America, which helped Europeans to broaden their horizons: this was possible only with the support that public figures provided to explorers. These people tore down barriers and brought new opportunities to the old continent.