Open Science in An Era of Techno-Nationalism and Intellectual Monopolies – A European Dilemma

The Draghi-report, published in September 2024, was meant as a wake-up call for the EU (Draghi 2024). According to the report, either Europe makes major changes to its current strategy, or it will stagnate and disintegrate. It shows that income per capita has grown more in the US than in Europe, in the years after the Great Financial Crisis and that the productivity gap reflects differences in technological capabilities in the digital area. The paper reflects upon, how the EU can safeguard its historical commitment to “open science” while engaging in a strategy of catching up with the US and China in digital technologies. It concludes that the principles of open science are valuable for the progress of knowledge and that openness is crucial for tackling planetary crises. But to preserve them, Europe needs to restructure its industry and build domestic digital enterprises to become advanced users of science.