Costa: EU seeks to catch up in global AI race

The European Union aims to strengthen its technological capabilities, increase investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and secure a leading position in the field, while ensuring the safe and responsible use of new technologies, European Council President António Costa said at a press conference following an informal meeting of EU heads of state and government in Dublin.

According to European leaders held their first in-depth discussion on artificial intelligence, focusing both on its potential to boost economic productivity and improve public services and on the risks associated with the technology. He said participants agreed to revisit the issue of artificial intelligence at the next informal summit in February 2027.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in turn, outlined plans to expand Europe's artificial intelligence infrastructure.

She said that 19 AI factories had already been established across the EU and made accessible to researchers and startups, while preparations were underway to set up seven larger AI gigafactories. According to her, around 30 billion euros is expected to be mobilised for these projects.

Von der Leyen stressed that Europe would need at least 500 billion euros in investment to achieve technological sovereignty, including funding for chip manufacturing, computing capacity and advanced AI models. She also noted that an average of 37% of EU companies used artificial intelligence in 2025. Finland led the bloc, with the figure reaching 66%.